Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning GEO 557

1
Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning(GEO
557)

• Michael A. McAdamsGeography Department
• Fatih UniversityIstanbul, Turkey

2
What is urban planning?

• Urban, city, or town planning, deals with design
  of the built environment from the municipal and
  metropolitan perspective. Other professions deal
  in more detail with a smaller scale of
  development, namely architecture and urban
  design. Regional planning deals with a still
  larger environment, at a less detailed level. The
  Greek Hippodamus is often considered the father
  of city planning, for his design of Miletus,
  though examples of planned cities permeate
  antiquity. Muslims are thought to have originated
  the idea of formal zoning (see haram and hima and
  the more general notion of khalifa, or
  "stewardship" from which they arise), although
  modern usage in the West largely dates from the
  ideas of the Congres Internationaux
  d'Architecture Moderne.
• SourceDictionary of LaborLaw Talk
  (http//dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/town_planning
  )

3
Who is involved in planning?

• Politicians
• Non-elected officials
• Developers
• Architects
• Urban Planners
• Civil Engineers
• Environmental Managers
• Public Transportation providers
• Citizens
• Others

4
Characteristics of Urban and Regional Planning

• Concerned with spatial arrangement of land use
• Looks toward the future
• Investigates past trends
• Inquires about goals and objectives of client
  group (i.e.,nation,state/provence,region,city,
  neighborhood or business area)
• Suggests future land use and policy alternatives
• Devises implementation strategies (i.e., zoning,
  subdivision regulations, funding etc.)

5
Addition Land Use Planning Characteristics

• High stakes competiton over future land use
• The land use plan is a key tool in coordinating
  development activities

6
Other types of planning

• Incremental (muddling through)
• Strategic planning
• Advocacy planning

7
Government FederalStateRegionalLocal
InterestsNeighborhoodsEnvironmentalists Economi
c DevelopersFarmersMinority Groups
Marketland ownersdevelopersrealtors bankers
Game RulesPlanning and devopment proceedures
Land PlannersFuture Land UseCurrent Land Use
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Rational Planning Process

• Formulation of Goals and Objectives
• Data Gathering
• Evaluation of consequences and alternatives
• Development of Alternatives
• Selection of Plan
• Implementation
• Monitoring

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Requirements for Rational Comprehensive Planning

• The rational comprehensive position, abstracting
  from the messy "real world", assumes that
  decision-makers have
• a well-defined problem
• a full array of alternatives to consider
• full baseline information
• complete information about the consequences of
  each alternative
• full information about the values and preferences
  of citizens and
• full adequate time, skill, and resources.
• (http//www3.sympatico.ca/david.macleod/PTHRY6.HTM
  )

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Some Criticism of Rational Planning Process

• Does not consider commmunity acceptance
  development (elitist)
• Is unable to cope with the changing urban
  landscape
• Not connected to implementation
• Requires extensive data gathering
• No clear cut problems or alternatives
• http//www3.sympatico.ca/david.macleod/PTHRY6.HTM
  

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Rational/Adaptive Planning Process
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What kinds of areas do planners work?

• Subdivision regulation and zoning regulation
• Long range plans for cities or counties
• Community Development
• Regional Development
• Economic Development
• Public transportation
• Historic Preservation
• Transportation Planning
• Enivironmental Management (i.e., flood plain
  regulation, air quality, solid waste management,
  watershed management)
• Public Housing
• Commercial and residential development

13
Do planners work only in the public sector?

• Most planners work in the public sector for
  local, regional or state governments
• However, many work in the private sector for
  consultants,developers etc.
• Another group works for private non-profit groups
  (downtown development,environmental advocacy etc.)

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Conclusion

• Urban and Regional planning is a complex process
  involving numerous interests
• The rational planning process has faults but is
  still a valid structure if modified
• Urban planning to be effective must be tied to
  implementation, modification due to changes and
  based on good communication between all parties