What is Urban Planning?

- Urban Planning is a process of guiding the use and development of land with the aim of making the city a better place to
live and work.
- Particularly important today as more than one-half of the world’s population now resides in urban places.
- Cities, towns and other urban forms are therefore the sites for most of mankind’s activities. Yet in most cities and towns,
land and access to basic resources and services are usually scarce and unevenly distributed.

Urban planning concerns itself with both the

development of open land (“Greenfields sites”)
and the revitalization of existing parts of the city,
thereby involving goal setting, data collection and
analysis, forecasting, design, strategic thinking, and
public consultation.

Over time, urban planning has adopted a focus on the

social and environmental bottom-lines that focus on
planning as a tool to improve the health and well-
being of people while maintaining sustainability
standards.

Sustainable development was added as one of the

main goals of all planning endeavors in the late 20th
century when the detrimental economic and the
environmental impacts of the previous models of
planning had become apparent.

Urban planning answers questions about how people will live, work and play in a given area and thus, guides orderly
development in urban, suburban and rural areas. Urban planners are also responsible for planning the efficient
transportation of goods, resources, people and waste; the distribution of basic necessities such as water and electricity; a
sense of inclusion and opportunity for people of all kinds, culture and needs; economic growth or business development;
improving health and conserving areas of natural environmental significance that actively contributes to reduction in
CO2 emissions as well as protecting heritage structures and built environments.

URBAN PLANNER - (also known as Town Planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban
planning or city planning.

Responsibilities:
1. LAND USE PLANNING - predominantly concerned with the regulation of land use, development and subdivision, with
the intent of achieving the desired urban planning outcome.

The urban planner is tasked with preparing planning instruments and zoning plans. Further, given urban development is
rarely static and the goals of urban planning change from time to time, the urban planner will be responsible for
continuously maintaining planning instruments and zoning plans to ensure they are kept up-to-date.

Planning instruments - a document created under this Act, including a National Development Strategy, planning policy
guidance, simplified planning zone scheme and a development plan.
 

2. STRATEGIC URBAN PLANNING - In order to plan effectively for long-term development and growth, an urban
planner will be responsible for the preparation of a strategic plan (also known in different jurisdictions by names such
as development plan, core strategy, comprehensive plan, planning strategy, structure plan, etc.). Strategic urban planning
sets the high-level goals and growth principles for a jurisdiction, which will in turn inform the preparation and amendment of
the legal planning instruments within that jurisdiction.

3. REGIONAL PLANNING - deals with the planning of land use, infrastructure and settlement growth over a geographical
area which extends to a whole city or beyond. In this sense, the urban planner's role is to consider urban planning at a
macro scale. Regional planning is not concerned with planning at the local (neighborhood) level.

4. HERITAGE AND CONSERVATION - An urban planner may be responsible for identifying, protecting and
conserving / restoring buildings and places which are identified by a community as having cultural heritage significance.
This may include the task of compiling and maintaining a heritage register, finding and making available incentives for
encouraging conservation works, and the consideration of proposals to redevelop or use a heritage-listed place.

5. URBAN REVITALIZATION - an urban planner may be tasked with preparing a plan for the redevelopment of an urban
area. Such plans are not limited to an individual development site but rather encompass a locality or district over which an
urban redevelopment plan is prepared.

Urban revitalization - often relies on obtaining funding from government sources to assist in the regeneration of an
area; the funding may be used for a variety of purposes such as improvement of public roads,
parks and other public spaces; development of infrastructure; and acquisition of land. The
urban planner will be responsible for costing an urban revitalization plan and obtaining
funding for infrastructure works necessary to implement the urban renewal plan.

6. MASTER PLANNING - The urban planner will be responsible for coordinating the various professional consultant
inputs, and to lay out the master plan infrastructure and land uses. It will often be necessary for the urban planner
to consult with landowners and government agencies affected by the master plan.

Master Plan – The purpose of a master plan is to plan for the ultimate spatial layout of the land uses for a future
development area. A master plan will consider the required infrastructure to service the development
and determine the need and location of urban amenities including commercial and industrial land,
community facilities, schools, parks, public transport, major roads, and land uses, both within and
outside the master plan area, and consider the staging of development of a master planned area.

7. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING - An urban planner may be responsible for planning for transport facilities and
infrastructure in urban and inter-regional areas.

8. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - An urban planner's responsibility may extend to economic development. In this
sense, an urban planner may be responsible for identifying opportunities for economic growth, and
encourage investment in an area.

9. ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING - An urban planner may be concerned with the impact of land use, development
and subdivision on the natural environment including land, water, flora, and fauna, to
achieve sustainable outcomes.

10. INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING - An urban planner may be required to plan for the future provision of public
works infrastructure such as water supply, sewerage, electricity, telecommunications, and transport infrastructure,
and community infrastructure including schools, hospitals and parks.
 

Important Definitions in Urban Planning and Design

1. URBAN AREA (UNITED NATIONS) - population size and / or population density, standard of living, ubiquity of
built-up areas, complex social and economic organizations.
 
2. URBAN AREA (PHILIPPINES) – cities and municipalities with a population density of at least 1000 persons/
square km., six (6) establishments, at least three (3) community structures (town hall, market place and other
public buildings) (per NSO) or as contained in the UDHA (Urban Development and Housing Act R.A.7279),
refers to all cities regardless of their population density and to municipalities with a population density of at least
500 persons/square km.

3. URBAN AREA, BARANGAY LEVEL (NCSB RESOLUTION NO.9, 2003) – population of 5000+, at least one
establishment with a minimum of 100 employees, 5+ establishments with a minimum of 100 employees, 5+
facilities within a 2 km radius from the barangay hall.

4. URBAN GROWTH - relative/absolute increase in the number of people who live in towns and cities. The pace of
urban population growth depends on the natural increase of the urban population and the population gained by
urban areas through in-migration and reclassification of towns and cities.

5. URBAN AGGLOMERATION - the population of a densely-populated area containing the city proper, suburbs, and
continuously-settled commuter areas or adjoining territory inhabited at urban levels.

6. METROPOLITAN AREA/ REGION - a formal government unit or if not, an officially - defined area comprising the
major urban area and its primary commuting areas with at least a population of 100,000 people.

7. MEGA CITY – an urban agglomeration with a population of 10 million people or more.

8. MEGA REGION – a rapidly growing cluster surrounded by low-density hinterland formed as a result of expansion,
growth and geographical conversion of more than one metropolitan area.
 
9. MEGA URBAN REGION (LAQUIAN) - A cluster of highly-urbanized areas following an urban corridor spatial
pattern (Tokyo); or mega-city dominated region (Metro Manila and Metro Bangkok); or sub-national mega-urban
region (Mega Manila Region) where issues are focused on urban sprawl, pollution, inner city decline, and
appropriate governance mechanisms.

10. URBANIZATION - a process whereby large numbers of people become permanently concentrated in relatively
small areas and work in non-agricultural, heterogeneous activities.

a) This concentration is a result of demographic consequences (natural increase), population movement

(migration), and distribution (density).
b) The rate of urbanization of a country is the proportion of urban population over time, calculated as the
rate of increase or decrease in the proportion of urban population to the total population of a given
country or region.
c) The rate of urban growth is the percentage increase or decrease in the urban population in a given
period.
d) The level of urbanization can be seen in two ways:
i) the proportion of total population residing in urban areas of a country; or
ii) urban populations having access to livelihood opportunities, markets, communication facilities,
transportation options, water systems and sanitary facilities, education, and health services.

The World Health Organization (WHO) calls this measure “URBANICITY.” Comparative studies of levels of urbanization
have led to the conclusion that the higher the level of urbanization, the lower the level of absolute poverty (HABITAT).
 

Conceptual figure showing the definitions of rurality/urbanicity by two regional levels in this study. Rurality was assessed at both the municipality
and the neighborhood (i.e., a smaller unit within a municipality) levels

11. GLOBALIZATION – the spread and concentration of production, communication and technologies across the world. It
involves the rise of multi-national corporations (MNCs), technological innovation, decline of power of national
governments, and diminution of face-to-face contact.

LOCATION THEORY: THE FOUNDATION OF PLANNING

Location theory addresses the questions of what economic activities are located where and why. The location of
economic activities can be determined on a broad level such as a region or metropolitan area, or on a narrow one such as
a zone, neighborhood, city block, or an individual site.

Location Theory also explains the pattern of land use and indicates a solution to the problem of what is the most rational
use of land suggesting ways in which the current pattern can be improved.

Location theory or microeconomic theory generally assumes that agents act in their own self-interest. Firms thus
choose locations that maximize their profits and individuals choose locations that maximize their utility.

Various factors which affect location are considered such as localized materials and amenities, but most weight is placed
on transport costs.

History of Location Theory

Early location theory was concerned with agricultural land use, as modeled by Johann Heinrich von Thunen and with
industrial location theory by Alfred Weber. Modern location theory has been concerned with the real individual, rather than
with rational economic man reflecting the influence of behavioral geography

It was not until the publication of Johann Heinrich von Thünen's first volume of Der Isolierte Staat in 1826 that location
theory can be said to have really gotten underway
 

DER ISOLIERTE STAAT – or “The Isolated State”

- a book authored by Johann Heinrich von Thünen wherein he imagined an isolated city, set in
the middle of a level and uniformly fertile plain without navigable waterways and bounded by a
wilderness.
- He used this model to demonstrate methods of maximizing agricultural production in concentric
zones. Heavy products and perishables would be produced close to the town, while lighter and
more durable goods could be manufactured on the periphery.
- Because it would cost more to transport goods to areas distant from the city center, the returns
to the outlying areas land would diminish until, at a certain distance, land rent would become
zero.
- Moreover, methods of cultivation would vary—with land cultivated more intensively near the
city, because the more valuable land near the city would demand a high rate of return.

JOHANN HEINRICH VON THÜNEN

- born June 24, 1783, Jever, Oldenburg, Germany—died September 22, 1850, Tellow, Mecklenburg
- German agriculturalist best known for his work on the relationship between the costs of commodity transportation and
the location of production.
- he developed the first serious treatment of spatial economics, connecting it with the theory of rent first developed by
David Ricardo.
- He is sometimes referred to as the “Father of Location Theorists”.
 

- he also coined the term Location rent (land value), which is economic rent minus the costs associated with
transporting products to market.

Based on Johann Heinrich von Thünen equation, he theorized that “Producers (farmers) aim to maximize location
rent by minimizing the transportation costs of getting goods to market”.

Therefore,
L = Y(P − C) – YDF
wherein,
L: Locational rent (in DM/km2)
Y: Yield (in t / km2)
P: Market price of the crop (in DM / t)
C: Production cost of the crop (in DM / t)
D: Distance from the market (in km)
F: Transport cost (in DM / t / km)

Simplified assumptions of Johann Heinrich von Thünen equation:

- The city is located centrally within an "Isolated State."
- The Isolated State is surrounded by wilderness
- The land is completely flat and has no rivers or mountains
- Soil quality and climate are consistent
- Farmers in the Isolated State transport their own goods to market via oxcart, across land, directly to the central
city. There are no roads
- Farmers behave rationally to maximize profits.
- The intensity of production declines with distance away from the market
- Land in greatest demand would be as near as possible to the market on account of low transport costs
- the highest rent would be gained for this advantage and the highest value output per hectare would accrue.
- outer belt would have little demand for land because of transport costs.
- rent would be low and the value of extensive production would be correspondingly low.
 

BASIC PLANNING CONCEPTS

Urban planning is a discipline concerned with the design, management, and regulation of the built environment and the use
of public space in urban areas. Over the years, various theories have emerged to guide and inform urban planning
practices.

There are eight procedural theories of planning that remain the principal theories of planning procedure today: the rational-
comprehensive approach, the incremental approach, the transactive approach, the communicative approach, the advocacy
approach, the equity approach, the radical approach, and the humanist or phenomenological approach. By grounding
these theories in the contemporary experiences of planners, students and practitioners can better grasp planning theory
and understand its continued relevance. Here are some of the key theories in urban planning:

1. The Garden City movement

- This theory, developed by Ebenezer Howard in the late 19th century, advocates for the creation of small, self-
contained communities surrounded by greenbelts. The idea is to combine the best of rural and urban living, with
a focus on sustainability, social equity, and a high quality of life.

Ebenezer Howard
- an English urban planner
and founder of the Garden City Movement,
known for his publication
To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform
(1898)

- An impressive diagram of the three magnets namely the town magnet,

country magnet with their advantages and disadvantages and the third
magnet with attractive features of both town and country life. Naturally
people preferred the third one namely Garden City.
-
- The Garden City consists for different zones, street types and garden.
- The Core in center is about 4 sq. km and contains central park, surrounded by a commercial, cultural and administrative
Zone.
- This concept showed how workable and livable cities could be formed within a capitalist framework.
- Cluster concept whereby a central city of 58,000 people was surrounded by “garden cities” of 30,000 people each
separated by permanent green space serving as horizontal fence of farmlands.
- Rails and roads would link the towns with industries and nearby towns supplying fresh food.
 

- In 1902, a garden city was established in Letchworth, 35 miles from London (planned by Architects Barry Parkes and
Raymond Unwin).
- Advanced concept of “Social City” – a polycentric settlement, growth without limit, surrounded by greenbelt.
- Advocated high residential density (15 houses per acre)
- Town growth – grow by cellular addition into a complex multi-centered agglomeration of towns set against a green
background of open country

2. Concept of Neighborhood Unit

- This concept has been used by planners since the beginning of time, but it is only recently that we have begun to
understand its meaning and implications for urban design and planning. The term “neighborhood” was first
introduced into American city planning literature in the early 1900s as part of the movement toward
comprehensive planning.
- Clarence Arthur Perry, an architect and planner from New York, was one of the first authors that defined the
concept of ‘neighborhood unit.
- the publication of Clarence A. Perry’s memorandum entitled ‘The Neighborhood Unit’ in 1929 led to its promotion
as a comprehensive planning tool. It was to be utilized as a self-containing residential area that promoted a
community-centric lifestyle, which was away from all the hustle and bustle of the city especially during the
industrializing New York City in the early 1900s.
- According to Perry, a neighborhood should comprise a population of about 5,000–9,000 residents, with schools,
places of worship, and recreational areas at its center. The 160-acre neighborhood is to be developed such that
there are 10 dwellings per acre. This would also require an elementary school with an enrolment of between
1,000 and 1,200 pupils. The design should allow the residents to access basic facilities and services at a distance
of not more than one-quarter mile from their place of residence.

C.A. Perry’s Concept of Neighborhood Unit

- emphasized the importance of the physical environment in creating
a sense of community. He believed that the quality of life depends
on the type of housing, streets, sidewalks, trees, lighting, etc. He
argued that if these elements are not properly designed, then the
quality of life would be poor. Therefore, he suggested that the
planning of neighborhoods should be based on the needs of the
people who live there, and thereby encourage social interaction
 

and cohesion among residents living in the defined neighborhood.

- In addition to the above-mentioned characteristics of a neighborhood, Perry outlined six principles that should guide the
design and development of a good neighborhood:
 

3. City Beautiful Movement

- an urban-planning movement led by architects, landscape architects, and reformers that flourished between the
1890s and the 1920s.
- claimed that design could not be separated from social issues and should encourage civic pride and
engagement.
- Its influence was most prominent in cities such as Cleveland, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
- it is known for grand buildings and sweeping green spaces, combined philosophy and architecture into a powerful
planning ideology that still drives urban design into the present day.
- Daniel Hudson Burnham is regarded as the father of the City Beautiful Movement, where it was first captured
the American public at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
- Burnham designed a temporary city where buildings were composed out of plaster in Neoclassical and Baroque
styles and painted a chalky white color. Therefore, earning the exposition, the nickname of the "White City."

Daniel Hudson Burnham

- was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the Beaux-
Arts movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American
architectural profession has ever produced,

- He had prominent roles in the creation of master plans for the development of a number
of cities, including the Plan of Chicago, and plans for Manila, Baguio and
downtown Washington, D.C.

“Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical
diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living
thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency.” – D.H. Burnham
 

The World's Columbian

Exposition in Chicago in 1893 is
often credited with ushering in
the City Beautiful movement

The planning of the exposition

was directed by architect Daniel
Burnham, who hired architects
from the eastern United States,
as well as the sculptor Augustus
Saint-Gaudens, to build large-
scale Beaux-Arts monuments
that were vaguely classical with
uniform cornice height. The
exposition displayed a model city
of grand scale, known as the
"White City", with
modern transport systems and
no poverty visible. The exposition
is credited with resulting in the
large-scale adoption of
monumentalism for American
architecture for the next 15 years.
 

Aerial view of the grounds and buildings of the World's Columbian Exposition, held on the lakefront in Chicago in 1893
4. Geddeisian Triad Concept
- a new approach to regional and town planning based on the integration of people and their livelihood into the
environmental givens of the particular place and region they inhabit.
- The theory states that the planning/layout should create organic relations among the people, place, and work.
Triad between the environment, functions, and organism should be the approach to design.
- The theory works closely with geography, economics, and anthropology which in psychological terms respond to
sense, experience and feeling.
- the theory was developed by Sir Patrick Geddes who is also known as “Father of Modern Town Planning”.

Sir Patrick Geddes

- was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner.
He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and sociology.
- Following the philosophies of Auguste Comte and Frederic LePlay, he introduced the concept of
"region" to architecture and planning and coined the term "conurbation".
- Later, he elaborated "neotechnics" as the way of remaking a world apart from over-
commercialization and money dominance
- Geddes developed a new approach to regional and town planning based on the integration of
people and their livelihood into the environmental givens of the particular place and region they
inhabit Inspired by the French sociologist Frederic Le Playʼs (1802–1886) triad of ʻLieu, Travail,
Familleʼ — which Geddes translated to “Work, Place, Folkʼ