Urban Planning
Essay Preview: Urban Planning
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A well planned town is characterised by:
Character
A place with its own identity
To promote character in townscape and landscape by responding to and reinforcing locally distinctive patterns of development, landscape and culture.
Continuity and enclosure
A place where public and private spaces are clearly distinguished
To promote the continuity of street frontages and the enclosure of space by development which clearly defines private and public areas.
Quality of the public realm
A place with attractive and successful outdoor areas
To promote public spaces and routes that are attractive, safe, uncluttered and work effectively for all in society, including disabled and elderly people.
Ease of movement
A place that is easy to get to and move through
To promote accessibility and local permeability by making places that connect with each other and are easy to move through, putting people before traffic and integrating land uses and transport.
Legibility
A place that has a clear image and is easy to understand
To promote legibility through development that provides recognisable routes, intersections and landmarks to help people find their way around.
Adaptability
A place that can change easily
To promote adaptability through development that can respond to changing social, technological and economic conditions.
Diversity
A place with variety and choice
To promote diversity and choice through a mix of compatible developments and uses that work together to create viable places that respond to local needs.
Issues Concerning Mr. Hodgins Options
Mixed Use
Creating a mix of uses can help to attract people to live, work and play in the same area;
The mix can be at the scale of the building (one use above another), the street (one use next to another) or the neighbourhood (groups of uses next to others).
Vital places often have a mix of uses which involves different people using the same parts of a building or place at different times of the day, as well as different uses happening in different parts of a building or space at the same time.
Willacombe Town
This town offers a high street with a mix of uses thus many people are attracted to the area, hence the shops benefit from higher sales as the people attracted have different needs and thus should be provided with various services.
Since there are mixed uses it attracts people from other villages that come puposely to shop there: this might put a strain on the traffic network and issues such as parking might become problematic if the area is not planned to deal with such a situation beforehand. This might put off potential customers and irritate the residents of the area.
Wanting New Town
This town is segregated and planned on a system of zoning: as a result not many people are attracted to Wanting New Town. Specialised shops in the various areas say residential and industrial would not fare so well since the customers there have similar needs.
The various zones can be planned according to their functions, thus for example the residential areas can be planned in such a way that will accommodate families and their needs.
Getting the mix right
A successful mix of uses results where the uses are compatible one with another and interact with each other positively.
A successful mix of uses is achieved where the uses help to create a balanced community with a range of services, without increasing reliance on the car.
Willacombe Town
A mix of uses exists in this town and these uses are compatible, hence they interact positively with eachother since different uses attract people from all walks of life. Workplaces, shops and other facilities comibined with residential areas can make the place more than just a dormitory and render it lively and more practical.
Wanting New Town
Here there is no mix of uses, since it is segregated thus is cannot support both economic and social activities on a large scale. Since Wanting New Town is segregated the residential areas are dead.
Diversity of layout, building form and tenure can contribute to making successful living and working environments.
Buildings of different sizes and types allow for different uses to be accommodated over time.
To promote social inclusion, in well-designed places social housing is not distinguishable from private housing by its design, nor is it banished to the least attractive site.
Subdividing large sites into smaller development plots, each with direct access to public roads or spaces, can help create diversity, especially if different approaches to design are adopted, using different architects.
Narrow plot frontages can allow small-scale shopping and commercial activities to flourish and adapt to changing needs.
Willacombe Town
There is a diversity in the use of buildings which results in different building forms and layouts and this allows for different uses to be accommodated
over time.
It may be the fact that in Willacombe social housing and private housing are not disinguishable by their design since the town has evolved naturally and was not planned to accommodate specific areas. This might be regarded as an advatage in urban deisgn since it promotes social inclusion.
Smaller shops may