Land Use Planning Midterm

What is land use?

human use of land. Represents economic and cultural activities.

What is land use planning?

regulating how land will be used to guide development. Goal is to further the welfare of communities by creating convenient, equitable, healthy, and efficient environments. Can facilitate urban renewal, protect critical ecosystems, and provide access to public spaces

How is health and wellness impacted by spatial factors

• protect from harm

  • air pollution

  • noise disturbance

  • exposure to risk

  promote health

  • physical activity

  • food access

• provide services

  • accessible facilities

How can you bridge the mobility gap?

• make facilities accessible within walking distance

• carpooling

• accessibility to public transport

What are the steps in the Rational Plan-Making Process

1. Identify issues, opportunities, and assumptions

2. Formulate goals, and citizens help formulate a vision

3. Collect and analyze data

4. Revise goals and determine objectives

5. Develop and evaluate the consequences of alternative plans

6. Select and adopt the preferred alternative

7. Implement the plan

8. Monitor and provide feedback on outcomes and amend the plan.

What person designed which city that set precedent for planning many early American cities?

William Penn designed Philadelphia. It was organized in a rectangular grid with streets perpendicular to one another.

City Beautiful Movement

- early 1900s

- reform for Norther American Urbanism

- beautification could promote harmonious social order that would increase quality of life

Garden City

- 1900s

- Ebenezer Howard

- Promotes circular communities surrounded by a central city. Linked by canals and transits

Modernism: Radiant Cities

- 1920s

- build up not out

- linear development of high-rise buildings surrounded by green space

- gave birth to design framework of superblocks

Broadacre City

- Response to Radiant City by Frankl Lloyd Wright

- Replace industrial cities with smaller towns connected by highways

- families living on acre of its own land with cities embedded in nature

- no renting or landlords

Organic City

- City acts as a living organism

- popularized by scientists in the 18th and 19th centuries

- separate spatial and social unit made of connected people and places

Hierarchy of planning documents

General Plan → Master Plan/City Plan → Implementation Plans (Traffic, historic) → Ordinances and Programs

Environmental Planning Instruments

the collective name for local environmental plans, state environmental planning policies, and regional environmental plans

What are objectives of the master plan?

- prioritize environmental sustainability

- facilitate economic development

- enhancing heritage, culture, and public life

- improving housing and social infrastructure

- moving towards low-carbon mobility

- developing resilient physical infrastructure

Urban Development Boundary

an invisible legal divide distinguishing areas where development may occur. Allows for the protection of natural resources and farmland

Urban Expansion Areas

areas where further urban development beyond the established UDB is likely needed in the long-term planning horizon

Zoning

Planning control tool for regulating the built environment and creating functional real estate markets. Puts land into sections and permits designated land uses based on character and needs

Euclidean Zoning

- most common form of land use regulation

- separates land into broad categories (agricultural, residential, commercial, or industrial)

- prevent specific outcomes like overcrowding or land use incompatibility

- ended up failing to create a sense of community and led to range of negative social and environmental effects

Incentive Zoning

use Euclidean zoning as a baseline but allows projects to exceed zoning limitations in exchange for providing local community benefits.

Inclusionary Zoning

mandates new construction projects to include a certain percentage of affordable units to ensure developers don’t displace poor or minority populations

Density Bonuses

developers can build more densely (more floors in apartments) in exchange for providing a public good.

Land Assembly

planning and zoning process for consolidating small pieces of land into larger plots to repurpose underutilized areas

Performance zoning. Site standards vs activity standards

establishes performance standards to regulate permitted activities and prevent adverse impacts. (ex: walls have to be constructed to contain fire for one hour).

Site standards - appearance. lot size, height, floor area, etc.

activity standards - output of use. traffic patterns, congestion, water use, etc.

Form-Based Zoning

- 1990s-2000s came around

- pedestrian oriented and establish meaningful sense of place

- defines zones according to their physical characteristics

Different Levels of Public Open Space

- pocket parks - small outdoor public spaces less than 1 acre

- neighborhood parks - recreation and social focus of neighborhood. 2-5 acres per 1000 residents served

- Community Parks - serving several neighborhoods. Focus on recreation, athletics, and open spaces. 5-8 acres per 1000 residents

- City Parks - zoos, gardens, pavilions, museums, golf courses etc.

Zoning and Planning Tools for Mitigating Air Pollution

- Prohibitions - prohibiting certain land uses harmful to public health

- Environmental Justice and Review Processes - Required study of environmental impacts for development

- Proactive accounting and planning - establish forecasts of land use, populations, economic, travel, demand, etc.

- Public Health Codes - Targeted Public Health codes for different types of pollution

Land Use Strategies for Mitigating Air Pollution

- transit oriented development - encouraging transport travel by having amenities along transport system

- infil development - encouraging travel by locating new developments in already developed areas

- brownfield redevelopment - redevelop under-utilized or abandoned lands

- Mixed-Use development - development that locates complementary land uses within walking distance

- pedestiran oriented development

Urban Heat Islands

when cities replace land cover with pavement and buildings, it absorbs and retains heat

Cooling Solutions

Cool Roofs - reflect more light and absorb less heat, while extending life of roofs and reducing energy costs

Cool pavements - lighter colored pavements that are more reflective

Land Use Policy Incentives

- Grant programs - help private property owners by lowering costs of installation

- tax credits - offset private costs associated with green/cool roofs and don’t require gov to spend more money

- Floor-Area-Ratio Bonuses - local govs offer bonuses to builders by amending local zoning codes to allow more square footage than normal

Tensions in the sustainability prism

- Growth management - Livability and economy

• extent to which unmanaged development can provide high-quality living

- Green Cities - liveability and ecology

• extent to which ecosystems can determine urban form

- Gentrification - liveability and equity

• preservation of poorer neighborhoods for present vs redevelopment to attract middle and upper class residents

What are the primary contradictions among sustainable goals

- Property Conflicts - equity and economy

• private commodity being used for profit is subject to government intervention (require affordable housing)

- Resource conflict - economy and ecology

• consumption of natural resources

- Development Conflict - ecology and equity

• need to improve living conditions while protecting environment.