Urban Planning 101 Series – a primer for an aspiring student

#1. What is urban planning?

Have you ever wondered: Why do some places have vibrant open spaces? Why are some places bustling with informal shopping and markets? Why do some cities have high-rise towers and others don’t? Why do buildings look alike in some neighbourhoods? Why are some cities easy to explore on foot while some are completely car-dependent?

Well, “Urban planning” may be responsible for all of the above.

The urban context

Towns, cities regions, urban areas are all terms we use for defining places we call our home. People migrate to towns and cities in search of job opportunities and better quality of life. This process of rapid ‘urbanization’ has resulted in half of the total population of the world living in urban areas currently. India stands at 34% urban in 2017 according to the World Bank. This trend is definitely going to continue for years to come.

With rapid urbanization, the urban areas start degrading as they are faced by plethora lot of issues such as overcrowding, haphazard growth without infrastructure, congestion on roads, pollution, lack of affordable housing, slums, water shortage, lack of proper sanitation, transportation issues, challenges of management of large size of waste being generated in urban areas, environmental hazards, pressure of development on eco-sensitive lands and even larger issues such as poverty, increasing crime and unemployment. It thus becomes very important to manage and regulate how urban areas grow, how the growth may be sustained for future generations, and maintain a decent quality of life in urban areas. Urban planning aims at making cities healthy, efficient, sustainable, equitable, attractive, and vibrant.

What's in an urban plan?

An urban plan lays down a vision for the future of the urban area. An urban plan may be known by various names such as a master plan, comprehensive plan, or a development plan. What are the main components of an urban plan? Every urban area is different with its unique set of challenges and opportunities rooted in its physical context. Urban areas are ever-changing with growing population, changing economic trends, changes in technology and the changing environmental context. An urban plan is sort of a blueprint of how a place will grow in future typically in 20-25 years. The goals of urban planning vary depending on the context and the specific needs of the community, but some common objectives include improving access to affordable housing, reducing traffic congestion, enhancing public transportation, creating green spaces and parks, and promoting economic development. The main components of an urban plan are land use and zoning, transportation, housing, public spaces, environmental context, natural resources, recreation and open spaces, and public infrastructure including water supply, sewage and services such as schools, hospitals, police and fire. Apart from an urban plan focusing on physical aspects mentioned above for the entire city, there may be several other plans such as a strategic plan, a local area plan, an investment plan, a smart city plan, plan for a special economic region and so on! How the plans are implemented and financed is also an integral part of the plan documents.

Planning for the future in the wake of modern day challenges

Isn’t planning an entire city an enormous task? Well, yes, it is. Urban planning is extremely complex – even more so in today’s modern age – with concerns such as climate change, rise in global temperatures, and global health issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and disasters such as floods, cyclones, and earthquakes. The modern-day concerns like sustainable development, revitalizing older urban areas, growth management, compact development vs. sprawl, economic development, managing disasters - all should be addressed by urban plans. Urban plans can help cities create their own identity by enhancing on their local assets giving a boost to local economy. Urban planners work closely with a variety of stakeholders, such as residents, businesses, community groups, and government agencies, to develop plans and policies that meet the current and future needs of the community and promote a high quality of life.

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What do planners actually do? How do they plan?

More to come in the next piece in this series. #UrbanPlanning101