Urban Planning Theories, Laws, and Processes for Architecture Students

Theories

Provide conceptual frameworks for understanding the city

5 Elements of City Image

According to Kevin Lynch, these elements form the alphabet of how we read cities

Legibility

Orientation, safety, belonging in urban design

Jane Jacobs

Critic of modernist planning; advocated for mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods

Eyes on the Street

Promoted by Jane Jacobs as a concept for vibrant communities

Christopher Alexander

Introduced 'patterns' at multiple scales: buildings to cities

Pattern Language

A practical design 'toolbox' adaptable to context

New Urbanism

Advocated for compact, walkable, mixed-use communities

Landscape Urbanism

Prioritizes ecological processes and green infrastructure

Resilience and Adaptation

Focus on climate change in urban design

Central Place Theory

Explains the spacing and function of settlement patterns

Central Place

A settlement providing services for the population of its periphery

Threshold Population

The minimum population necessary to support the service activity

Modernism

Zoning, towers-in-the-park, functional city design

Postmodern Urbanism

Context, symbolism, pluralism in design

Everyday Urbanism

Informal spaces, bottom-up practices as discussed by Margaret Crawford

Smart Growth

Compact, mixed-use, sustainable development

Transit-Oriented Development

Linking land use & public transport as proposed by Peter Calthorpe

Just City

Justice and equity as central to planning according to Susan Fainstein

Urban Acupuncture

Small-scale interventions with large impact as proposed by Jaime Lerner

Walter Christaller

A German geographer whose principal contribution to the discipline is a set of ideas and principles to explain the spacing and function of settlement patterns.

Market Range of a Service Activity

The distance which people are willing to travel to reach the service.

Nesting Pattern

The infiltration of a lower-order center within a high-order center.

Lower Order Places

Provide only low order goods to low order tributary areas and require frequent purchasing with little consumer travel.

Basic Function of a City

To be a central place providing goods and services for a surrounding tributary area.

Centrality of a City

The degree of it being a service center, where the greater the centrality of a place, the higher is its 'order'.

Higher Order Places

Offer goods with more establishments and business types, larger population, tributary areas and population, do greater volume of business and are more widely spaced than lower order places.

Static and Descriptive Approach

Fails to account for the evolutionary process; this is not fixed and is subject to change.

Shadow Effect

Possible distortion of the hierarchy by the domination of large centers, which could be discouraging for small centers.

Problems of Actual Ranking of Central Places

Actual identification which may be confused by the problem of sprawl.

Bid Rent Theory

A geographical economic theory that refers to the changes of real estate price and demand based on its location from the Central Business District (CBD).

William Alonso

An American planner and economist who created the Bid Rent Theory.

Rents Diminish Outward from the CBD

A principle of Bid Rent Theory indicating that real estate prices decrease as one moves away from the Central Business District.

Willingness to Pay

The willingness to pay to acquire a central location versus accepting distant locations for lower 'rental' cost responds to the 'bid' gradient.

Bid Rent Curve

The gradient is related to the marginal cost of distance for each activity, where distance influences its bidding rent.

Friction of Distance

An important impact on the rent gradient; no friction would mean all locations would be perfect locations.

Central Business District (CBD)

The commercial and business center of a city, often characterized by high land values and dense development.

Activity with highest bid rent

The activity that is theoretically expected to occupy a location based on its willingness to pay the highest rent.

Transport costs

Expenses associated with the movement of goods or services, which can influence location decisions in real estate.

Utility/Profits

The level of satisfaction or financial gain that a household or firm seeks to achieve through their location choice.

Offset

To balance both lower revenue and higher operating costs, including transport costs.

Bid Gradient

The willingness to pay to acquire a central location versus accepting distant locations for lower rental costs.

Laws of the Indies

Spanish colonial planning codes shaping towns in the Philippines and Latin America.

Grid Layout

A design structure featuring a central plaza, church, and civic buildings.

Zoning Regulations

Modern urban law controlling land uses, densities, and building forms.

Universal Design

Design that is equitable, accessible, and inclusive for all abilities.

Equitable Use

One of the seven principles of Universal Design.

Flexibility

One of the seven principles of Universal Design.

Simple Intuitive Use

One of the seven principles of Universal Design.

Perceptible Information

One of the seven principles of Universal Design.

Tolerance for Error

One of the seven principles of Universal Design.

Low Physical Effort

One of the seven principles of Universal Design.

Size and Space for Approach and Use

One of the seven principles of Universal Design.

Garden City Principles

Principles by Ebenezer Howard promoting greenbelts and self-contained communities.

City Beautiful Movement

A movement focused on monumental planning for civic pride.

Form-Based Codes

Codes that focus on physical form over use categories.

Urban Growth Boundaries

Boundaries designed to contain sprawl and preserve open land.

Compact City Principles

Principles emphasizing density, proximity, and sustainable mobility.

Resilient City Principles

Principles focusing on flexibility, climate adaptation, and redundancy.

Urban Design Steps

A classic workflow consisting of Survey, Analysis, Synthesis, Implementation, and Feedback.

Rational Comprehensive Planning

A systematic research-driven approach that is logical and comprehensive.

Advocacy Planning

Planning that represents marginalized groups and creates alternatives or opposition to planning proposals.

Participatory Planning

A process where the community is actively involved in design and decision-making.

Incrementalism

A decision-making process characterized by small, pragmatic step-by-step decisions.

Placemaking

A people-centered design approach involving small-scale interventions to strengthen community identity.

Central Place Theory (Christaller)

Hierarchy of settlements.

Arnstein's Ladder

Diagnostic tool that highlights power dynamics in participatory planning.

Strategic Spatial Planning

Vision-driven, multi-stakeholder process.

Design Thinking in Urbanism

Iterative problem-solving and prototyping approach.

Sustainable Urbanism Process

Integrating ecological, social, and economic goals.