APPROACHES IN URBAN PLANNING

* The emergence of scientific planning is associated with the works of Patrick Geddes. He sought to understand a
city in its entirety, the product of a particular set of geographical, topographic, historic, economic, social and
cultural conditions. Hence a regional framework is drawn to understand and plan the urban environment.
• Emphasis in his era (1900's) of industrialization and urbanization would be on conserving natural & human
resources; a concern on housing, town planning and civic design, and a general regard for bettering man's
environment: PUBLIC INTEREST.

* Patrick Geddes' idea of Planning:

GOALS
SURVEY (Survey & Analysis) OBJECTIVES
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PLAN GENERATION
ANALYSIS (Analysis & Plan) ALTERNATIVES EVALUATION
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PLAN IMPLEMENTETION

* Contributions to planning Theory;

# Decision & Choice Theory: Under conditions of uncertainty, deciding

among alternatives or options.
# Game Theory: Estimating behaviour patterns of various
groups involved.
EVOLUTION OF LAND USE
PLANNING SYSTEMS

Physical Planning
19th Century Public Health Legislation
Milano
Comprehensive Planning

Traditional planning which developed on Geddes' formulation of Survey-Analysis-Plan. Parallel to this evolution
was the CIAM ideology to exert control over urban land & the countryside. It depended on strict zoning decisions
where development of a plan to cover all land uses and adhere to it was the prime motive.

Comprehensive planning evolved at a time section where the urban environment was looked upon from a general
point of view. Patrick Geddes' valley section (1915, Evolution of Cities), zoning regulations in New York (1917),
concentric zone theory (1925), Le Corbusier's grand schemes (1920's), foundation of CIAM (1928), Athen's
Charter (1933), Tennessee Valley Development (1932), Walter Christaller's Central Place Theory (1933) all
emerged in the same era contributing to the evolution of Comprehensive Planning.

It is defined as :
1. Creation of a master plan by specialist planners
2. Evaluation of proposals in the light of a master plan
3. Coordination to highlight public interest
City planner is the stern guardian of public interest and Comprehensive Planning is the superimposition of Land
use & Transportation Plans. But later after 1950 s, it was accused to be:
1. Entirely physical and
2. Detached from decision making processes.
In 1933, the Tennessee River Valley and the surrounding area was particularly depressed. It suffered from
frequent floods on its unregulated rivers and access to markets was restricted by a poor transportation system. In
addition, the population suffered from malaria and parasitic diseases and was poorly educated for a life in modern
industrial society. Electric power was extremely expensive and available only in the cities.

The TVA Act provided the agency with "administrative freedom to meet the special requirements of its program
and to adopt the methods of administration of successful private, as well as public, enterprise, and authorized the
three man board of directors to provide a system of organization to fix responsibility and promote efficiency."
TVA was given broad power to attack the above mentioned problems through "coordinated and integrated
development of the river and improvement in agricultural and forestry methods." When it came to immediate
importance, navigation and flood control were given priority over power generation.
THE DOORN MANIFESTO

1. It is useless to consider the house except as a part of a community owing to the inter-action of these on each other.
2. We should not waste our time codifying the elements of the house until the other relationship has been crystallized.
3. 'Habitat' is concerned with the particular house in the particular type of community.
4. Communities are the same everywhere.
(1) Detached house-farm.
(2) Village.
(3) Towns of various sorts (industrial/admin./special).
(4) Cities (multi-functional).
5. They can be shown in relationship to their environment (habitat) in the Geddes valley section.

6. Any community must be internally convenient-have ease of circulation; in consequence, whatever type of transport is available, density must increase as population
Increases, i.e. (1) is least dense, (4) is most dense.

7. We must therefore study the dwelling and the groupings that are necessary to produce convenient communities at various points on the valley section.
8. The appropriateness of any solution may lie in the field of architectural invention rather than social anthropology.
Holland, 1954
Structure Planning
- This is activity oriented rather than landuse.
- Planning is fused with action.
- Development of strategies is important.
- Strategies and decisions must be examined in public.
- Phasing of planning is further developed to cover:
Survey
OBJECTIVES DEFINITION
Analysis (of processes)
EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
Plan
- In Structure Planning the basic idea is:
1. Determination of a structure
2. Execution of detailed plans
- Consequently two levels are developed to perform Structure Planning:

1. Structure Plan to cover Strategies

2. Local plans to cover . District Plans
. Action Area Plans
. Subject Plans
 Possible Stages of Structure Planning
1. Survey & analysis for formulating objectives for strategies (analysis of existing built up areas, improvement ne
2. Alternative strategies tested for feasibility
3. Advice on implementation and program for development
Elements of Structure Plans to be further elaborated
Study of Processes Which Control Such Elements

Population Commerce
Centre Housing
Conservation Education
Employment Recreation
Transportation Industry
Utilities Services
Resources Infrastructure
Shopping Etc.

Critique of Structure Planning

1. Regional policies are never clear enough
2. Resource allocation is still a big problem
3. Plans are very sensitive to changes in social, economic and administrative policies
4. Delay is an endemic feature of the system
5. Level of detailing is obscure
6. Authorities involved all have different goals
7. Proper public participation is never achieved
B. Systems Approach Planning

Evolved as a result of high data processing opportunities created by Computer Technology.

Development of Operations Research in management systems led to the injection of Linear Programming in decision
making processes into planning.

Great emphasis is laid upon technical expertise. As a result of high data processing opportunities and the prevailing
ideology of General Systems Theory, it was believed that this approach would solve the problems of planning. In this
framework models were developed to promote this new approach, which were in fact representations & abstractions of
reality.
Models in Planning
A model is simplified representation of reality.
. Physical Models are representations of the physical three dimensional world; Architectural Models, Aircraft wind
tunnels, civic design models.

. Abstract Models are representations of the real world in terms of functional relationships and the basic
processes of urban change, rather than physical elements. Here behavioural analyses gain importance. Planners
have been using such models as tools of rational thinking. Rational thinking involves examining the possible
consequences of alternative courses of action, and selecting that which appears to provide greatest benefits.
In fact we continuously build models on
+ representation of the situation
+ possible future evolutions
+ how to act
In Planning, two sets of abstract models have been developed:

1. Substantive Models for certain urban phenomena

. Culture-Society interaction
. Urban Form-Design
. Image, etc.
2. Procedural Models for decision-making or formulation of goals & values
. Choice
. Decision

In this connection Mathematical Models being a version of abstract models are most commonly used in urban
planning where urban issues are formulated in terms of mathematical symbols & notations.
To build a model;
+ you start with a mental image
+ create a verbal description
+ translate it into mathematical language
Model building requires Expert Judgment.
 . Descriptive models
. Analysis of existing urban system
. Not sufficient for future
. Can't give chances for alternatives
. Simulation of current situations
e.g. In = Sn + Rn + Zn

Socioeconomic Value of Household

Income = status of + residential + size
household heads property

. Predictive Models
. Forecast of future change
. Simulation of future
. Relationships which would change & remain constant
. Planning Models
. Simulation & testing of alternatives
. What might happen in future
. Ranges of performance in relation to defined objectives
- least cost
- least journey time to work
- max. accessibility to centre
. optimum densities
. Gravity Models
Simulation of Newton's Law of Gravity. Lowry Model
uses the following elements of:
. population
. basic employment
. service employment
. distance
to measure actual and predicted values of the elements
and to find possible values of interaction, i.e. amount of
trips.

F = the force each mass exerts on

M1 M2 the other
F = G ----------- M = masses
D² D = distance
G = gravity constant

simulation

I = interaction between areas

P1 P2 P = size of araes (population)
I = G ----------- D = distance
D² G = empirically determined constant
 Systems approach in planning claimed that "human settlement patterns are complex, dynamically
interrelated sets of elements with characteristics of growth and change, which exhibit intrinsic organization
qualities." If planners could understand these organizational mechanisms than they can help shape it.

Consequently data processing systems & models are utilized to provide for a wide spectrum of choice
in the matrix of market mechanism and political decisions. It is an attempt to show what behaviors will produce
what outcomes & what courses of action to take.

Criticized for being highly technical and keeping away from the evolution of political decisions and not
being able to really abstract human relations, falling short in predicting behavior.
C. Advocacy Planning

Systems approach manipulated planning as a technical process neglecting the complexity of human
behavior and value judgements. In fact determination of policies and decision making are realized through
political debate. Consequently planners should not confine themselves to their technical skills but should also
participate in the decision making process as advocates of different groups.
Plural plans rather than a single agency plan should be presented to the public. Participation and
community decisions are sometimes much more important than provision of green spaces or reduction of
journey to work.
Advocacy planning developed parallel to Structure Planning and urged the planners to determine
their place in the planning process. The planner is no more the sole generator of planning decisions but simply
participates like all other groups in the society.

D. Participatory Planning
Advocacy planning created participation in planning processes which later became an inseparable
part of planning legislation. Hence in Structure Planning participation at all levels in the preparation of the plan is
compulsory. In Comprehensive Planning the plan was prepared by the expert planners and the citizens only had
the right to object that part of the plan with which they had interests.
Today the planning decisions are debated through public hearings. The citizens have the right to
interfere and hence more extensively accepted decisions are produced. At the Strategy Plan level, public and
private investors, associations, universities and interest groups are invited while in the generation of Local Plans,
property owners and dwellers of the specific community are also covered.
Still who participates is a critical question; dweller or owner.
Derivatives of Structure Planning

Corporate Planning
The distribution of land is never sufficient as a planning policy; there are social, aesthetic, administrative, economic and budgetary considerations
to be taken into account. Thus there emerges the need to provide a more appropriate management system to meet these demands, a system
that manages the affairs of the local authority as a whole. This is Corporate Management System. Main idea is to break down t he barriers
between Departments of Local Administration. Appointment of a Town Manager and Management of Planning, Programming and Budget ing
System. This approach coincided with the development postmodernism in architecture. Postmodernism of Reaction leading to hist oricism and
aestheticism, Postmodernism of Resistance leading to the vernacular discourse of behaviour and environment paradigm.
As a result, Planning after 1980's acquired different meanings:

PLANNING APPROACHES

CHARACTER OF MARKET CRITICAL MARKET LED

URBAN To balance inequalities
PROBLEMS created by the market
Economically Active Regulative Planning
Areas Public interest oriented
Potential Rent or Popular Planning
Problem Areas Participation & cooperation
Physical & Economic Public Investment
Deterioration Planning
Basically public investments
To support & regulate the
market mechanism
Trend Planning
Planning in conformity with
the market forces
Leverage Planning
Semi-public organization
public infrastructure
Private Management
Planning
Private planning, realization
& management
THE SKILLS THAT A PLANNER SHOULD ACQUIRE
* Process of Planning
. Direct and formulate the plan
. Exert pressure for its acceptance and implementation . Establish policy, set
goals, coordinate
* Problems of the Physical Environment
. Transportation, housing, commerce
. National, regional, local connotations
. Generalist and Specialist at the same time
. e.g. A City Architect should deal with both policy plans and building permits
* Problems of Urban Life
. Poverty
. Social malfunctioning
. Social and economic expertise
* Taste in Aesthetic & Environmental Matters
. Guardian of historical heritage
. To provide the link between arts and sciences
* Skill to Communicate
. Planner and Planned
. Professional and Politician
. Among Departments
. Links between and within systems
* Link Between Public and Private Bodies
. Conflicting roles
. Reconciliation of private and public benefits
. Log run and short run benefits
What sort of a man is the Planner
. Is he simply engaged in a discipline
. Who is his client
. Is he/she a monster
. Technocrat or a bureaucrat
. Or a key man trying to survive in the process.
THE ROLE OF THE ARCHITECT IN A PLANNING TEAM

. Provide 3-dimensionality into 2-dimesional plans

. Since the Processes of Planning and Design are similar he should adapt
. Takes part in the preparation of detailed plans
. He should be consulted at every stage to determine contexts of buildings
. Develop Urban Design skills as a hybrid man
. Develop more imaginative planning approaches at the local level
. National level ....... A Consultant
. Regional level ....... A Member of the Planning Team
. Local level ....... A Designer