Urban Planning

Urban Planning: A Technical and Political Process

• Urban planning is a technical and political process focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including transportation, communications, and distribution networks.
• Urban planning traditionally followed a top-down approach, but has adopted a focus on social and environmental bottom-lines in recent years.
• Urban planning guides orderly development in urban, suburban, and rural areas, and involves planning the efficient transportation of goods, resources, people, and waste.
• Urban planning is an interdisciplinary field that includes civil engineering, architecture, human geography, politics, social science, and design sciences.
• Technical aspects of urban planning involve predicting population growth, zoning, geographic mapping and analysis, and analyzing the impact of land use.
• Urban planners formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically analyzing land use compatibility as well as economic, environmental, and social trends.
• The importance of urban planners is increasing in the 21st century due to issues of increased population growth, climate change, and unsustainable development.
• The school of neoclassical economics argues that planning is unnecessary or even harmful, and that market efficiency allows for effective land use.
• Participatory planning has emerged in the United States since the 1960s and 1970s, with notable contributions from urban planners and activists such as Jane Jacobs.
• Critics argue that urban planning should be more inclusive and participatory, and that community input should be considered in policies and zoning plans.