Module 4

• Feasibility study of Urban Design

projects and their evaluation
Feasibility study for an
urban design project
General Steps

• Study of context & purpose of feasibility study.

• Checking environmental feasibility.
• Urban Design study analysis.( Mention steps of –
visual survey).
• Transportation systems.
• Economic feasibility.
• Social survey.
• Market Analysis.
• Demand supply analysis.
Feasibility study of Urban
commercial development project-
procedure.
•Feasibility study of
Urban renewal project-
procedure.
Feasibility study of Urban
renewal project- procedure.
Evaluation of UD projects

• What is Impact Assessment?

• Impact assessments are carried out to assess the consequences of
individual projects -- Environmental Impact Assessment -- or of policies
and programmes -- Strategic Environmental Assessment.

• Environmental Impact Assessment

• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the
likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development,
taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-
health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
• UNEP defines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool used to
identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project
prior to decision-making.

• It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project

planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts,
shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions
and options to decision-makers.
• By using EIA both environmental and economic benefits can be
achieved, such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and
design, avoided treatment/clean-up costs and impacts of laws and
regulations.
• Although legislation and practice vary around the world, the
fundamental components of an EIA would necessarily involve
the following stages:
• Screening: First stage of EIA, which determines whether the proposed
project, requires an EIA and if it does, then the level of assessment
required.

• Scoping: This stage identifies the key issues and impacts that should be
further investigated. This stage also defines the boundary and time
limit of the study.

• Impact analysis: This stage of EIA identifies and predicts the likely
environmental and social impact of the proposed project and evaluates
the significance.
• Mitigation: This step in EIA recommends the actions to reduce and
avoid the potential adverse environmental consequences of
development activities.
• Reporting: This stage presents the result of EIA in a form of a report to
the decision-making body and other interested parties.
• Review of EIA: It examines the adequacy and effectiveness of the EIA
report and provides the information necessary for decision-making.

• Decision-making: It decides whether the project is rejected, approved

or needs further change.

• Post monitoring: This stage comes into play once the project is
commissioned. It checks to ensure that the impacts of the project do
not exceed the legal standards and implementation of the mitigation
measures are in the manner as described in the EIA report.
EIA - steps
• Strategic Environmental Assessment
• Sadler and Verheem (1996) define Strategic Environmental Assessment
(SEA) as the formalized, systematic and comprehensive process of
identifying and evaluating the environmental consequences of
proposed policies, plans or programmes to ensure that they are fully
included and appropriately addressed at the earliest possible stage of
decision-making on a par with economic and social considerations.

• Since this early definition the field of SEA has rapidly developed and
expanded, and the number of definitions of SEA has multiplied
accordingly. SEA, by its nature, covers a wider range of activities or a
wider area and often over a longer time span than the environmental
impact assessment of projects.

• SEA might be applied to an entire sector (such as a national policy on

energy for example) or to a geographical area (for example, in the
context of a regional development scheme).
• SEA does not replace or reduce the need for project-level EIA
(although in some cases it can), but it can help to streamline and focus
the incorporation of environmental concerns (including biodiversity)
into the decision-making process, often making project-level EIA a
more effective process.

• SEA is commonly described as being proactive and ‘sustainability

driven’, whilst EIA is often described as being largely reactive.