{"id":3187,"key":"Urban_planning","title":"Urban planning","latest":{"id":1210648,"timestamp":"2025-11-28T12:12:13Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"[[File:Urban planning header.jpg|thumb]]\n\nUrban planning has important implications for [[sustainability]], as well as for [[quality of life]]. Street layout, housing layout and [[population density]] and affect energy use for [[heating]], [[cooling]] and [[transport]]. Building regulations also affect sustainability, by encouraging or discouraging efficient [[design]].\n\n{{Wikipedia excerpt|Urban planning|paragraphs=1}}\n\n=== Issues ===\n\n{{Excerpt|Issues in urban planning}}\n\n=== Principles ===\n\n{{Excerpt|Principles of urban planning}}\n\n=== Characteristics ===\n\nIn order to have an urban planning that creates [[sustainable cities]], many factors should be taken into consideration. Here are some characteristics of sustainable urban planning.\n\n=== Car-free places ===\n\n[[File:Carfreemotif.png|thumb]]\n\n'''[[Carfree|Car-free]] places''', or '''pedestrian zones''', are an essential part of a [[city]] - not only for [[sustainable city living]], but to create a peaceful, desirable place to be. In these areas, some or all automobile traffic is prohibited.\n\nOther types of zones, i.e. mixed zones{{Verification needed}} allow vehicles, but they must negotiate their way with pedestrians, making a different kind of place from traditional roads.\n\n''For more information visit [[Wikipedia:Pedestrian zone]] and [[Wikipedia:List of car-free places]]''\n\n=== Green space ===\n\nLand left untouched, or with tended grass and other plants, enriches a [[city]], provides habitat for animals, helps to control the natural water cycle, and helps to moderate temperatures (partly by reducing the [[urban heat island]] effect).\n\nOn a larger scale, restrictions on development in green belts help to protect the environment, prevent poorly planned urbanization, and provide a refuge for animals that may be endangered due to human activity.\n\n=== Usable public space ===\n\n'''Usable public space''' is an important aspect of [[urban planning]] and [[Urban design]], especially in those with a focus on [[sustainability]], such as transit-oriented development and [[New Urbanism]].\n\nPublic space, being shared, does not have to be as expansive as providing the same functionality or experience through private space. The benefits are:\n\n* lower cost (less use of land)\n* allows higher [[population density]], which reduces travel distance, allowing more walking and cycling, and provides a larger customer base for [[public transport]].\n* better facilities due to shared cost\n* more social\n\nTo allow privacy when desired, a mix may be planned for, e.g. in [[cohousing]], where a smaller amount of private space is in each dwelling, but a larger amount is shared by the community..\n\nTo satisfy building codes, some developers use large areas of landscaping. This is not usable space - children cannot play there, the community cannot garden there, and the lawn cannot be used for sitting, walking or playing.\n\n=== Livable neighborhoods ===\n\n{{Excerpt|Livable neighborhoods}}\n\n=== Land value capture ===\n\n{{Excerpt|Land value capture}}\n\n=== Fused grid street layout ===\n\nThe '''Fused Grid''' is a proposed street layout that combines elements of the grid pattern (\"Smart Growth\" and neo-traditional neighborhood design / [[New Urbanism]]) with the loop and curl street patterns of urban development in recent decades.\n\nEach of those existing street patterns (grids and loops) has positive attributes yet neither satisfies all the needs of [[sustainability]], safety (accident avoidance), living environment and [[quality of life]].\n\n''See also: [http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/su/sucopl/fugr/index.cfm The Fused Grid - A Neighbourhood and District Layout Model] - CMHC''\n\n=== Child friendly cities ===\n\n'''Child Friendly Cities''' is a movement in urban design and planning where children are placed as important user in the city. A Child Oriented Development provide the best appropriate facilities to have children live, grow, learn and play in a good environment quality. Child Friendly Cities relate to United Nation Convention on Child Rights.\n\nChild friendly cities have:\n\n* Sidewalks - to allow children to walk safely\n* Pedestrian bridges and adequate crossings\n* Low emissions, for the sake of children's [[health]]\n\nIn terms of social aspects:\n\n* Good schools\n\n''See also: [http://www.childfriendlycities.org Child Friendly Cities]''\n\n=== Livable neighborhoods ===\n\n{{Excerpt|Livable neighborhoods}}\n\n=== Urban Farms ===\n\nAn '''urban farm''' is an expression of [[urban agriculture]], often a cooperative effort, and a way of creating abundance within a food desert.\n\n==== Ecovillages ====\n\n{{Excerpt|Ecovillages}}\n\n==== Zoning ====\n\nZoning is of great concern to everyone interested in [[intentional communities]]. Zoning regulations are imposed by a locality, usually a city, and control a wide range of land-use issues, including:\n\n* Minimum Lot Size\n* Buildings Per Lot\n* Minimum distance Between Buildings\n* Minimum distance from Street\n* Families Per Building\n* Definition of a Family\n* Number and type of [[animals]] permitted\n\nLiving in violation of zoning is risky - keeping a low profile will only work for so long. A single complaint from a disgruntled neighbor can lead to a $1000 per day fine or even a 30 day eviction notice. The time to settle zoning issues is before the community is established.\n\nChanging zoning can be a lengthy and expensive process. A land-use attourney is often required, and a six month process is not uncommon, leading to an extra up-front $10,000 expense, and the zoning board might still say 'No'.\n\n==== Comparisons of energy usage ====\n\nIn comparing the energy usage of different city designs, it is important to choose the appropriate measure. The important quantity to measure is energy usage per capita - that is, the actual amount of energy consumed per person. If focusing on transport, the appropriate measure is energy usage per capita per unit time (e.g. joules/person.year or joules/person.day).\n\nMeasures such as joules per person per km have been used to argue that public transport is no more efficient than transport by private cars. The flaw in this argument is that it is not measuring the important figure (i.e. how much energy is used per person).\n\nThe reason that this may give a misleading result is that it doesn't capture the various possible effects of public transport, such as shorter distances travelled (due to a more dense housing layout, and clustering of housing near transport); more walking; and the tendency of public transport users to combine their trips (e.g. shopping on the way home from work).<ref name=\"NK\">''[[Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence]]'', Island Press, Washington DC, 1999. Newman P{{W|Peter Newman (Australian)}} and Kenworthy J, ISBN 1559636602. ''Points noted here from memory by [[User:Chriswaterguy|Chriswaterguy]].''</ref> However, while these are up for debate, and of course the merits of private vs public transport can be debated, it is important to interpret data correctly, and the logical flaw in using an inappropriate measure is very clear.\n\n==== City-Country Fingers ====\n\nOne of the patterns described by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein in their book ''A Pattern Language''.<ref>See [http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Language-Buildings-Construction-Environmental/dp/0195019199/sr=8-1/qid=1172789456/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6805918-1419369?ie=UTF8&s=books description comments and rating at Amazon] (5 stars, 64 reviews). There are Wikipedia articles on ''A Pattern Language'',{{W|A Pattern Language}} Christopher Alexander{{W|Christopher Alexander}} and Murray Silverstein{{W|Murray Silverstein}}, but not yet on Sara Ishikawa.{{W|Sara Ishikawa}}</ref> is City-Country Fingers, a \"starfish\" form, with interlocking fingers of farmland and urban land even at the center. The urban fingers should never be more than about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) wide.<ref>Described very briefly at [http://downlode.org/etext/patterns/ptn3.html 3 City Country Fingers], part of a [http://downlode.org/etext/patterns/ summary of ''A Pattern Language''].</ref> Farmer and market are brought closer together, and a \"greener\" level of urban density is encouraged.\n\n==== Notes and references ====\n\n<references />\n\n==== See also ====\n\n* [[Urban design]]\n\n==== External links ====\n\n* [[Wikipedia:Urban planning]]\n* [[Wikipedia:Category:Environmental design]] (in particular note articles on New Urbanism).\n* [[Wikipedia:Urban agriculture]]\n* [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:WikiProject Urban studies and planning]] - a collaboration to improve Wikipedia articles on urban planning.\n* [[Wikia:Urban|Urbepedia]] (at Wikia.com) - a wiki about all things urban.\n* [http://www.patternlanguage.com] - One of the first Patterns is City-Country Fingers, a \"starfish\" form, with interlocking fingers of farmland and urban land even at the center. The urban fingers should never be more than about 1 mile (1.5 to 2 kilometers) wide. Farmer and market are brought closer together, and a \"greener\" level of urban density is encouraged.\n\n{{Page data\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| description = Zoning plays a key role in building better cities. Appropedia explains how good planning and land use help create more livable and sustainable places.\n}}\n\n[[Category:Sustainability]]\n[[Category:Built environment]]\n[[Category:Land use]]\n[[Category:Urban planning]]\n[[Category:Community]]"}