SITE PLANNING

05/06/2020
By Tonja 1
 Contents
• Site Planning
Introduction to Site Planning
Related profession in Site planning
Site Data and Analysis
Site Layout
Landscape Elements and their Site Planning
Consideration

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 Introduction to Site Planning
• Site planning is the art and science of
arranging the structures on the land and
shaping the spaces between.
• Site planning is the process in which the
characteristics of the site and the
requirements of the program for its use are
brought together in creative manner.

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Related profession in Site planning
• Site planning is professionally exercised by
landscape architects, but there are related
professions involved such as architects, urban
and regional planners, engineers.

Urban
Planning

Landscape
Archit Site architectu
ecture planning re

Civil
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engineeri 4
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 Site Data and Analysis
• Site analysis is a critical first step in planning and
designing a site.
• In many respects site analysis is the most important step
in the successful site design process.
• The purposes of site analysis are to gather data for
preliminary planning and evaluate the site for
compatibility with the proposed project.
• Identify site limitations or issues further into the
planning and design process.

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Site Analysis
• Site analysis are usually conducted in two
phase
A proposal phase site analysis or site observation
Site characterization or detailed site analysis

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Site Analysis
• Site analysis consists two major analysis and
they are:
 Landscape based site analysis
Environmental categories
Infrastructural categories
 People based site analysis
Economical categories
Socio-cultural categories

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Landscape based site analysis
Environmental Categories:
Environmental categories includes factors like:
climate, geology, hydrology, topography, and
vegetation.
Infrastructure Category:
The infrastructure category covers both social
and physical infrastructures.

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 Summery of Environmental Categories
Category Factor Task
Climate Temperature Calculate thermal comfort zones
Wind speed analysis wind effects
Relative humidity
Solar radiation

Geology Soil type Identify suitable areas for building

Erosion and slope foundations

Hydrology Floodplain and wetland Avoid floodplain and wetland, and

Relation to bodies of water find suitable area accessible to
water

Topography Slope Identify suitable areas

Aspect
Hillshade
Elevation
Vegetation Vegetation coverage and location Preserve native plants
Vegetation status

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People based site analysis
Economic Category:
• The economic conditions of site, around the
action area (site), community and the town/city.
Social-culture Category:
• Study on the social-culture of the community
• The social-cultural category is based on
discussions about the relationship between
culture and housing, and its connection with
other categories.

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 Site Layout
• The most obvious feature of the site is how the
proposed project lays upon the land, that is, how the
buildings and facilities are organized.
• Redevelopment projects should attempt to restore
function wherever possible.
• In developing a new site, the environmental
functions of the site should be preserved, and the
design should minimize the impact of development.

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 Landscape Elements and their Site Planning
Consideration
Water Features
• includes ponds, lakes, fountains, and reflective pools.
• A water feature can bring a great deal to a landscape of
any size.
• Ponds include biotic features such as plants and perhaps
fish, whereas pools have no biotic elements.
Functional value of Water Features:
• Visual Enjoyment -An area that is a source of natural
beauty.
• Focal Points -Special interest areas that attract attention.

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 Functional value of Water Features:
• Micro-Climate Modification -A localized
cooling effect created by the spray from a
fountain or bubbler.
• Native Habitat -Areas for wildlife conservation
and management.
• Recreational Opportunities -Areas for
swimming, boating, and fishing.
• Irrigation Reservoirs - Help to reduce the
demand for potable water resources.
• Psychological or emotional values
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Site planning consideration of Water Features:
• Provide successful water features (ponds,
pools etc.) in your design and construction.
• Decide for what functional value you are
providing water features.
• Materials of construction (concrete, plastics,
fiberglass etc.)
• Depth of water features
• Waterfalls require the addition of a pump

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Pavement Materials
Functional value of pavement materials:
• Spatial Definition -Use various pavement types,
colors, shapes, and sizes to define outdoor spaces.
• Sense of Direction -Various surface patterns and
colors define movement and direction.
• Spatial Character - Texture and color of surface
materials can project a unique character to the area.
• Warnings -Use an abrupt variation of pavement color,
texture, or size to signal level changes, roadway
intersections, or other hazardous conditions.

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Site Planning consideration for Pavement Materials
• Decide for what functional value you are
providing pavement materials.
• The choice of paving materials is broad and
generally is determined by the nature of the
project and the preferences of the designer
and the client.
• Consider the installation and lifecycle costs,
durability, slip resistance, and appearance.

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 Paver installation detail

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 Brick bonds and patterns

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Plazas and Patios
• The use of plazas or patios in the site plan has
become an essential element of most
projects.

• All such areas should be designed to be fairly

level but with enough pitch to provide
adequate drainage.

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Brick plaza 20
Bed Materials

Rigid mortared paving detail

Ramp detail
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Design for People
• The human scale of site design is a primary
interest for site developers.
• Site designs reflect the values of the society at
that time through the work of designers.
• All of furnishings fulfill with the accepted
standards of human dimensions.

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Site planning consideration for people
• Standing and walking dimensions.
• Chair and table dimensions.
• Wheelchair use dimensions.

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Pedestrian Walkways
• A fundamental element of design for the
pedestrian is the pathway or sidewalk

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Pathway design parameters. 24
Pedestrian Walkways
• The sidewalk width must provide the level of
service suited to the user.

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Site Planning consideration Pedestrian Walkways
• Outdoor stairs should be made easier to use
than indoor stairways because people tend to
be moving faster when outdoors.
• Avoid the use of a single stair. A minimum of
three steps should be used to clearly signal
the change in grade.
• Ramps should be included in the design.
• Handrails should be continuous along both
sides of ramp segments.

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Signage
A simple but effective sign system provides a
means of communicating information without
compromising the appearance of the landscape.
Functional value of Signs are:
• Identification -Identifies entrance gates and
military, community, recreational, and other
facilities.
• Destination -Directs visitors to major activities.

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Signage
• Regulating -Controls traffic, parking, maintains
security, and identifies hazards.
• Informational -Provides educational
information and directional guidance for
visitors.

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Site planning consideration for Signage
• Signs should be well integrated with other
landscape elements.
• The key elements for signs are readability and
effective reading distance.
• To determine readability, it is necessary to
understand the purpose of the sign.
• Signs directed toward drivers must be visible
and readable from quite a distance.

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Open Space Requirements
• It is common practice today for developers to
provide open space and recreation facilities as
part of design projects.
• Passive open space and active open space
should be well differentiated in the design
phase of the project.
• In developing active or passive open space,
developers and communities alike must be
concerned about the actual demand, current
and future, for those facilities.
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Open Space Requirements
• Active open space must be compatible with the site as well as
with the user. An analysis of the site must include existing
features such as watercourses, tree masses, topography,
adjacent land uses, and areas of historic significance.
• Need to determine the leisure activities of various age
groups and communities.
• Analyzing the needs of a particular community should
include
age group
the projected number of users within the population
the sources of funding, maintenance, and management
the availability and accessibility of existing facilities.

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Open Space Requirements
• Active and passive open space should be
balanced.
• Passive activities include reading, dinning,
sightseeing, photography, people watching,
and strolling
• Open space must consider cultural
background of the society.

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Accessibility and Open Space
• Reducing barriers to parks and open space.
• It is important to note that many people with
disabilities can satisfactorily access and enjoy
a site.
• Simply installing a ramp or handrail in the right
place.
• Provides access to all buildings, secondary
facilities, and programs.

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 Phased integrated access
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Playgrounds
• Play areas and playgrounds should provide a
variety of play equipment, with special areas
for different age groups and activities.
• The design should provide for shade and
sunny areas, places for quiet activity and
observation, as well as the play facility.

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Site planning considerations for Playground
• The standard consumer safety
• The surfacing standard (address surfacing and fall
protection under and around Playground Equipment)
• Disabilities act consideration
• Playground should not have direct street access
• Playgrounds should be sized on the basis of per family.
• Placement and spacing of equipment should avoid
overlapping
• Play areas for small children must include benches for
parents to sit on and observe their children, and the
design should allow for strollers, carriages, and the like.

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Site planning considerations for Playground
• Access to play areas should be limited for
security purposes.
• playground equipment that requires
participation should be located toward the
entrance of a playground
• The choice of playground surface material is a
critical factor in determining the injury impact of
a fall.
• The height of a fall is the next most critical
element of playground injury risk.
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Site planning consideration for Parking Area
• How Much Parking Is Enough?
• Several approaches exist for parking
requirement calculations:
• Parking requirements are usually set by local
municipalities as a ratio of so many spaces per
dwelling unit, or square feet of retail space, or
seats in a theater.

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 Minimum Parking Requirements and Average Use

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Site planning consideration for Parking Area
• Shared parking arrangements have become more widely used and
accepted.
• Design strategies are directed toward minimizing the amount of
impervious surface and maintaining the predeveloped rate of
infiltration.
• Way-Finding
way-finding aids to assist users
• Accessible Parking Space Requirements
• Pavement Design for parking space
Paving details in a parking lot are used to guide pedestrians and drivers
Reducing the Impacts of Parking Lots
Cobblestone street installation. The joint spaces between the cobbles allow
for drainage to the sand bed
• Signs can provide direction to special parking areas
• Provide Landscaped buffer

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Site Grading
• Land development involves disturbing the existing
condition of a site in favor of a different condition,
usually directed by a design.
• A good design considers the character of the site being
developed.
• Sustainable site development requires that design
professionals consider the predevelopment
environmental function of a site and seek ways to retain
that function to the degree it is possible.
• Minimizing the disturbed area of a site is a critical
consideration.

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Site Grading
• The layout and grading scheme of a site
should address the physical characteristics of a
site, including the functional aspects of the
landscape.
• Ideally the new features such as roads or
buildings will fit onto the site with minimal
need for large cuts and fills.
Roads should be parallel to contours as much as
possible and buildings should be located on flatter
areas to minimize grading.
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Site Grading
• Consider Engineering Properties of Soil
• The Balanced Site
A minimum of earthwork with cut and fill in balance.
• Hillside Developments
• Minimizing the Impact of Site Grading by site layout and design
• Minimizing the Disturbed Area
• Using Grade Change Effectively
• Site Stabilization (both temporary stabilization and permanent
stabilization)
• Slope Stability
• Retaining Walls
• Erosion and Sediment Control

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Site Grading
• Bicycle and Multiple-Use Paths
• Seating (Site furniture)
style, materials, durability, and availability of the bench or seating.
comfort of the seat.
• Accommodating an Older Population
• Street
Parking requirements analysis (Adequate parking provisions )
Noise, vibration, pollution control
Standards for lighting, drainage, and separating vehicles from pedestrians
Traffic Calming (Traffic speed control)
Traffic Signs
Roundabouts (squires)
Cross walks

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 Typical street cross section.

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Vegetation
• Vegetation - consists of trees, shrubs, ground covers,
canopy, vines, and turf.
• Plants are an integral part of most site plans.

Functional uses of vegetation:

Visual Enhancement -Vegetation strengthens the
appearance of the landscape and improves the users’
quality of life.
Wind Control -Strategic placement of trees and shrubs
helps to break, guide, and deflect wind currents.

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Functional uses of vegetation:
• Erosion Control -Ground cover and turf/grass reduce the
amount of soil surface exposed to natural forces. The root
structure binds the soil, thereby reducing erosion potential.
• Noise Reduction -Dense flora and canopy effectively reduce
noise levels by absorbing sound waves.
• Climate Modifications -Vegetation helps reduce temperatures
by shading the ground and by the cooling effect of water
emitted from its foliage.
• Energy Conservation - Deciduous trees (trees which loose
their foliage) shade building surfaces in the winter and, as a
result, reduce the demand on air conditioning systems. During
summer months, sunlight passes through the trees to provide
natural solar heat for the building’s interior.
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• Glare and Reflection Reduction - vegetation can
effectively soften glare and reflection from man-made
materials.
• Air Purification -Vegetation is a natural filter that
removes dust and pollutants from the air. They are
sinks for carbon dioxide.
• Wildlife Conservation -Diverse vegetation types
provide wildlife habitat for nesting, shelter, and food.
• Economic value- A site with trees is viewed as more
valuable and will bring a higher price on the market.
• Soften the Landscape- The use of trees and shrubs
serves to soften the landscape.
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Site planning consideration for vegetation:
• The choice and arrangement of plants can be
used to:
frame views,
to accent or to hide features,
to direct pedestrian traffic,
to create outdoor spaces,
to invite,
to repel,
to provide comfort,
to encourage motion or pause, and
to modify scale or other environmental elements.

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Site planning consideration for vegetation:
• Consider the texture, color, line, form, and balance when selecting and
designing with vegetation.

• Edges (or lines) can be defined in the landscape using plants, paving,
reoccurring patterns, or grading.

• Designers should be familiar with the use and effects of vegetation color in
the landscape.

• Using native plants contributes to some degree to biodiversity, reduces or

eliminates the need for pesticides and fertilizer, reduces maintenance
costs, and may increase or improve habitat.
 Designs incorporating native species tend to be more natural in context.
 Once established, native landscapes tend to require less care, less water,
and fewer inputs.

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Site planning consideration for vegetation:
• When selecting plants for the landscape, designers should evaluate
the impact of their choice of materials on the environment.

• Plants that spread and establish easily by self-seeding or spreading

roots should be reconsidered.

• Groundcovers that establish and spread quickly should not be used

where they may “escape” into adjacent open space.

• When choosing a location for new vegetation consider their mature

size in your site plan or consider their size 5, 10, or 25 years from
now or consider 25, 50, or75 percent of their mature size.

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Site planning consideration for vegetation:
• Select and Provide vegetation for:
 A visual screen to block unwanted views, to mask glare, or
to direct the viewer to a particular feature.
 A barrier to deflect or absorb sound.
 A filter to collect airborne dust and particulates.
 Shade and protection from the sun for purposes of comfort
and/or energy efficiency.
 A wind screen.

• Consider the landscape design principles when applying

vegetation and consider other Landscape elements (land
form, utilities, pavements, signs, site amenities, buildings etc.).

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Site planning consideration for vegetation:
• In choosing plants, the design should specify plants that will mature
relatively quickly and that will not become a maintenance problem.

• Plant materials chosen must be able to tolerate the environment, and

the buffer must be designed with the impact of the seasons in mind.

• Trees should be chosen with an understanding of the cultural

requirements of the tree and the intended impact or value to the site.

• A combination of plants for a site might include fast-growing plants

that would ultimately be removed and be replaced by slower growing
but more desirable species over time.

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 Site planning consideration for vegetation:
• The decision to save or remove existing trees should be
approached by carefully evaluating the health of the trees and
the requirements of the project.

• Screening Design Considerations

 Locate the buffer close to a source of noise or dust.
 The depth of the buffer mass should be relative to the strength or
magnitude of the nuisance.
 Combinations of plants are more effective than single types of plants.
 Grading can be used to enhance the effectiveness and visual interest
of the buffer.
 Height of screen is as important as width or depth.
 Buffer should be visually pleasing.

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Site planning consideration for vegetation:

Paver detail
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Site Amenities
• Site amenities include benches, tables, mail boxes, vending
machines, drinking fountains, telephone booths, bus
shelters, walls, fences, monuments, memorials, flag poles,
etc.

• With proper planning and design, site amenities become a

cohesive link that has a positive effect on the overall
appearance of the landscape.

• Site amenities need to be compatible with the adjacent

architectural features, and serve the functional needs of the
user.

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Walls and Fences
• Fences and walls are common site and
landscape features used most often to
increase privacy or security.
• Fencing should be of the proper scale and
proportion to meet the objective and remain
compatible with the design as a whole.
• Color also contributes to fence performance.

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 Design for Security
Look for and anticipate escape routes
Encourage people to observe streets and public
spaces
Restricting traffic on residential streets (one way
streets, traffic calming)
Increased evidence of formal and informal
observation
Restricting vehicle movement

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 Design for Security
• Crime prevention through site planning is most successfully
conducted in conjunction with other community efforts,
such as community policing and neighborhood awareness.
• Site Design Strategies for Crime Prevention are:
Provide effective lighting
Design to assure good lines of sight along streets and
paths and near buildings
Consider crime prevention when selecting plant materials
Use traffic calming measures and circulation planning to
reduce joy-riding

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