Planning 1 Reviewer Visual Literacy - The capacity to graphically

communicate design problems, relevant

Introduction and Overview
 Context of Site planning in urban and
regional planning.
 Qualities of Good Designer and Site
planning team
 Professional Competencies
contextual information, and potential
solutions.
Analytical Tools
 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
 Three-Dimensional (3D) Modeling

Sustainable Development - seeks to meet

the needs and aspirations of the present
without compromising the ability of those to
meet those of the future.
Sustainability Science - seeks to
understand the complex dynamics of
interconnected human and environmental
systems.
Built Environment - The three-dimensional
arrangement of buildings, transportation and
utility networks, and green spaces.
Mixed and Integrated Uses - diverse
housing, shops, workplaces, schools, parks,
and civic facilities encompassing
interconnected indoor and outdoor
environments
Clustered, Compact Buildings -
architecture that enriches public open
spaces, especially streetscapes, and creates
neighborhoods and urban districts with a
strong sense of place.
Open Space Systems - connected natural
areas and other outdoor places that provide
linear recreational opportunities.
Transportation networks - integrated
systems safely serving pedestrians, bicycle
riders, public transit, and automobiles.
On-site impacts - for example, may diminish
visual quality and reduce native plant and
wildlife biodiversity.
Off-site impacts - may include traffic
congestion, flooding, or pollution of local
surface waters
Site Planning Process - is the art of
arranging the external physical environment
to support human behavior. It lies along the
boundaries of architecture, engineering,
landscape architecture, and city planning,
and it is practiced by members of all these
professions.
Three Categories of Site Planning
Projects:
 Projects with no buildings
 Projects with one building
 Projects with two or more buildings
PROJECT INITIATION - Initiated by clients
may be individuals, partnerships, or
corporations, nonprofit organizations, or
federal, state, or local governments.
SITE INVENTORY - the process of mapping
the site’s relevant physical, biological, and
cultural attributes – is not a site analysis.
SITE ANALYSIS - Assess whether
environmental remediation is needed, what
action should be taken to protect adjacent
properties from contamination, and what
buildings and infrastructures can be used or
recycled
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN - Flows directly from
the site analysis, this is the process of
adapting the program to the unique features
of the site.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - Refines the site
concept plan.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION - The
process of converting a design vision into a
real built environment.
CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
 Layout Plan (horizontal control):
locates buildings, streets, and parking
areas, walkways, utility lines, and other
site elements in relation to the site’s
boundaries and other existing built and
natural elements.
 Grading Plan (vertical control):
locates existing contours (dashed
lines), proposed contours (solid lines),
and proposed spot elevations at high
and low points, and locates pavement
corners in relation to local elevation
benchmark. Drainage swales and
storm drain systems are also included.
 Grading Plan (vertical control):
locates existing contours (dashed
lines), proposed contours (solid lines),
and proposed spot elevations at high
and low points, and locates pavement
corners in relation to local elevation
benchmark. Drainage swales and
storm drain systems are also included.
 Planting Plan (trees, shrubs, vines,
and groundcover): locates existing and
new vegetation, including the desired
spacing between new plantings. Plant
quantities, sizes, and root conditions
are included in a table or schedule.
 Demolition Plan (site preparation): for
infill sites especially, identifies the
buildings, utility structures, and other
site elements that will be either
removed, protected, or retrofitted.
 Irrigation Plan: locates the site
irrigation system, although sustainable
site design minimizes the need for
supplementary irrigation by specifying
well-adapted native and naturalized
plant materials. Erosion and Sediment
Control Plan (ESC): in some
jurisdictions, an ESC must be
submitted before development permits
can be issued, typically, includes a
description of predominant soil types
and provisions for preserving topsoil
and limiting soil disturbance.
CONSTRUCTION SECIFICATIONS -
Supplement the construction drawings
and include information that is typically
conveyed in report from rather than on the
construction drawings.
General Specifications - cover bidding
requirements, required insurance and
bonding, as well as incentives for
completing construction before the final
completion date.
Technical Specifications - are written
descriptions of the procedures and
materials required to build the project.
They include information about the quality
of materials, construction methods and
standards, and work safety requirements.
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION -
Construction supervisions is the
responsibility of the general contractor
and the various subcontractors building
the project.
PERMITTING AND APPROVALS - Land
development controls needed to control
against poor design resulting in assorted
social, economic, and environmental
impacts.
RA 9053 - “Philippine Landscape
Architecture Act of 2000”
RA 9266 - “The Architecture Act of 2004”
RA 10587 - “Environmental Planning Act
of 2013”
Pre-Design and Analysis
SITE SELECTION
 Plays a critical role in site planning and
design.
 Using land efficiently – and in keeping
with its intrinsic qualities and
surrounding character – is a
fundamental precept of sustainable
land development and design.
URBAN INFILL - is development that occurs
on vacant or remnant lands passed over by
previous development.
URBAN REDEVELOPMENT- replacement,
remodeling, or reuse of existing structures to
accommodate new development.
Contribution of mixed-use redevelopment to
local sustainability and livability:
 locating housing near employment and
services
 efficiently using existing urban services
and facilities
 creating jobs and increasing the
community’s tax base
 conserving energy and improving air
quality by reducing reliance on
vehicles
SITE SELECTION SCOPE
1. Programming - expressed in terms of
quantity and quality of spaces needed to
meet anticipated project needs.
FOUR BASIC STEPS OF PROJECT
PROGRAMMING:
1. Initiate the project.
2. Develop the project’s mission and
objectives.
3. Determine the project’s operational and
physical requirements.
4. Document and present the program to the
client.
Most common methods of information
gathering to support program
development:
• Interviews
• Surveys
• Document analysis
• Behavioral observation
• Visiting a state-of-the-art project
• Literature search
• Other (for example, interactive group
techniques such as charrettes, workshops
and discussions)
2.) User Needs and Preferences
Stakeholders:
• Elected officials
• Appointed officials
• Facility operators
• Funding managers and analysts
• Public works and building maintenance staff
• Citizen groups representing taxpayers
3.) Visual Preference Survey (VPS) - useful
way to solicit stakeholder opinions concerning
future development, redevelopment, or
restoration alternatives.
4.) Design Precedents
Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) - the
process of evaluating buildings in a
systematic and rigorous manner after they
have been built and occupied for some time.
5.) Program Documentation - specify the
land uses, activities, or facilities that will occur
on the site, the amount of space required for
these proposed activities, the desired spatial
relationships among these activities, and
even the phasing of the development.
Site planning projects come about in one
of two ways:
- a client may already own a site and the
future uses of the land have yet to be
determined; or,
- the client has predetermined objectives and
a site must be found to accommodate them.
SITE SELECTION PROCESS
STEP 1: Clarify Project Objectives and
Site Requirements Site selection process
is initiated by the client
Step 2: Choose the Site Selection Criteria
Three crucial issues to address:
• Capacity: Does the site provide adequate
physical conditions for the project?
• Compatibility: Is the proposed project
compatible with the surroundings?
• Affordability: Do the project’s benefits
outweigh its costs?
Step 3: Collect Site Data and Select
Potential Sites
Step 4: Evaluate Each Site’s Sustainability
Data Sources:
• Aerial photographs
• Parcel boundary and tax assessor data
• Highway maps
• Utility maps
• Topographic maps
• Soil maps
• Ground level photographs showing views
on- and off-site
Step 5: Rank the Alternatives Sites and
Select the Best One
Step 6: Test Project Feasibility
Feasibility Studies may include the
following:
• Market analysis
• Assessment of site- and context-specific
constraints and opportunities
•Pro forma financial statements (private
sector development) or capital budget/funding
estates (public sector project)
•Design concepts (concept plans and three-
dimensional simulations)
Site Selection Report Includes:
 Title Page
 Table of Contents
 Executive Summary - Summarizes
the purpose and scope of the study,
including the type and size of the
planned facilities; briefly describes the
sites; indicates which site was selected
and the rationale for choosing the
selected sites.
 Introduction - Describes the purpose
and scope of the study.
 Site Selection Process - Explains the
site selection criteria and the criteria
rating and weighting schemes.
Graphics: context map showing each
site and its immediate surroundings;
location map showing all of the sites
that were considered and key
landmarks or reference points such as
a major streets or highways or
municipal boundaries; property
boundary surveys; aerial photographs
of each site, site cross section, and
photographic panoramas.
 Comparative Evaluation of
Candidate Sites - Describes the
strengths and weaknesses of each
site. This may include projected project
costs at each site (for example, land
costs, permitting and impact fees, site
development costs, utility extension
costs, and construction costs). It may
also include information on community
financial assistance and development
incentives (see www.siteseekers.org).
Graphics: site evaluation matrix;
tabulated data summarizing the
individual site evaluations and allowing
comparison among the alternative
sites.
 Conclusions - Briefly summarizes the
study’s conclusions.
 References
 Appendices
Landscape ecology - is a transdisciplinary
science concerned with landscape structure,
Property Ownership and Value
function, and change. (Forman and Gordon,
1986) Information on land ownership or “tenure” is
Ecological Community - is an aggregation available in publicly accessible databases at
of interacting species living together in the the Registry of Deeds, with records may
same place. include:
Landscape Pattern - the spatial - certified survey map of the parcel
arrangement of habitat patches and corridors,
boundaries
along with the intervening land uses and land
covers - a history of land ownership
– strongly influences biodiversity and other - any deed restrictions or covenants
indicators of ecosystem health. (Turner,
associated with the property
2005)
Ecotones - the spatial boundaries of Land Use Regulation
ecological communities – are especially Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)
important areas biologically, where animals
CLUP Guidebooks
may find shelter in one ecotone but seek food
in another habitat. Protect Cultural and Natural Resources -
Protect natural areas, including wetlands,
wildlife habitats, lakes, woodlands, open
- the habitat is the organism’s “address”, - spaces, and groundwater resources.
the niche is its “profession”, (William E.
Odum, 1959, in Fundamentals of Ecology) Protect Sustainable and Affordable
Development - Encourage land uses,
densities, and regulations that promote
efficient development patterns and relatively
Invasive Species - or sometimes referred as
low municipal, state governmental, and utility
exotic species are particularly successful
costs.
colonizers when the new habitats present
minimal competitive controls that limit their Zoning Codes - divides a community into
growth and reproduction. smaller planning districts or zones.
Wildlife - Wooded patches and stream Infrastructure
corridors with urban, suburban, and rural
landscapes are home to colonies of birds and  Transportation - Locations of existing
other animal species assemblages. streets, driveways, transit stops,
parking lots, and other infrastructure
Plants - are critically important elements in inform context-sensitive design.
the built environment’s green infrastructure. 
Four factors that affect the economic
value of trees:
• Size (mature trees, for example, have
greater value)
• Species (hardly, well-adapted species are
worth the most)
• Condition (healthy roots, trunks, branches,
and leaves add value)
• Location (a prominent specimen tree is of
greater value)
Building and Neighborhood Character
Morphology
Kevin Lynch’s Five Elements of Urban Form
• Edges (for example, shorelines, streets,
and major changes in land use)
• Paths (for example, streets and major
walkways or bike paths)
• District (for example, neighborhoods and
major institutions)
• Nodes (for example, entrances, plazas,
and major walkway intersections)
• Landmarks (for example, unique buildings,
bridges, and natural features)
Figure-Ground Mapping - technique for
assessing the texture or “grain” of the built
environment.
Typologies
Neighborhood typology included the following
residential types:
• Single-family houses (attributes: small
footprint, pitched roofs, one to two stories)
• Multifamily residential towers (attributes:
5 to 12 stories, subdivided living units, retail
use of the first floor)
•Mixed-use residential/commercial
development (attributes: groundfloor retail or
office uses, upper floor residential use, three
to five stories, rectangular and linear
footprints)
Demographics - Population density, age,
and ethnicity.
A land use suitability analysis involves the
following steps:
1. Identify the suitability criteria for each
anticipated land use.
2. Inventory and map the relevant site
attribute data.
3. Identify and map the locations with
attribute values that meet the suitability
criteria for the targeted land uses.
Social & Psychological Considerations
Conceptual Design Principles
Open Spaces
Circulation Networks - Context-sensitive
transportation planning seeks to develop a
transportation network “…that complements
its physical setting and preserves scenic,
aesthetic, and historic and environmental
resources while maintaining safety and
mobility.” (United States Federal Highway
Administration 2009)
• Linear Pattern (walkways are commonly
used for recreational paths; may run parallel
to the shoreline and other natural features) •
Grid Pattern (walkways parallel the street
network in urban areas; advantages include
ease of orientation and flexibility in route
selection)
• Loop Pattern (walkways may organize a
series of linked open spaces, a cluster of
buildings, or other activity nodes)
• Radial Pattern (walkways converge to form
intersections that become plazas, squares, or
other important pedestrian nodes)
• Spiral Pattern (walkway ceremonially
descends or ascends toward a special place
such as a sculpture garden, a memorial, or
another contemplative outdoor space)
Furnishings - Special paving that helps to
define pedestrian spaces at major building
and site entrances, and at major pedestrian
walkways and intersections.
Capacity - A hierarchy of walkways are of
sufficient size to accommodate expected
pedestrian traffic.