Urban planning

Societies around the globe are experiencing an overwhelming wave of urban growth; it is this urbanization that allows for the modern world to undergo such an extensive demographic transition as cities become the core of our future. In his best-selling novel, Planet of Slums, Mike Davis highlights one key obstacle of urban success: the uprise of the informal working class, more commonly known as the slums. Firstly, Davis analyzes how slums have caused four main macroscale shifts between societies…

Urbanization can be considered as a major change that can bring about variations in the social and cultural construct of any location. Socio-cultural changes among urban communities inevitably lead to changes in attitude, worldview, and way of life of urban folks and this is something foreseeable (Ahmad, Z., Ahmad, N., & Abdullah, H., 2009). The characterization of urbanization in the minds of every individual might differ in certain areas but ultimately leads to an impression of positive…

provides five different green spaces. Green space, according to the United States Environmental Agency, ("What Is Open Space/Green Space?”), is an area of grass, trees, or vegetation set apart for recreational or aesthetic purposes in an otherwise urban environment. Through its green spaces, Sauk Centre has…

For this study, I have analysed the various socio-economic phenomena within the neighbourhood of Rock Bay Victoria. My initial impression of the site was that it it was primarily industrial and operated mostly as a place of employment rather than residence. Although my first impressions were accurate to a large extent, upon further research I discovered that the area consisted of a far greater variety of elements. For instance, due to deindustrialization, the area is currently in a state of…

Cities was written as a critique to the failing 1950s urban planning policies that led to the further decline of many already struggling neighborhoods, it was her most popular book and it ignited a spark of controversy among urban planning professionals in the field . Jacobs’ called this popular piece “the relation of the function to design in large cities.” One thing that Jacob criticized in her book was how the government supported the many urban planners who wanted to inject failing cities…

William H. Whyte is best known for The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces a textbook study of behaviour in public space. Set mainly in 1970s Midtown Manhattan, the book and associated documentary concentrated on how people interacted with the physical design of modernist public space. His focus was on “exchange, the most vital measure of the city’s intensity”. Lesser known is Whyte’s commitment to theoretical framing for understanding this intensity and how his research into the behaviour of…

__________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction Today, most urban development results in or is an influence of gentrification. As is claimed by Vicario and Martinez Monje, “Since the late 1970s, it has become increasingly apparent that the gentrification phenomenon should not be seen as an individual, isolated outcome of residential rehabilitation, but as an integral part of a much broader, deeper process of urban restructuring” (2003, p.2383). The…

effects. Beyond these three two other important elements have to be considered the reliability and efficiency of the system along with the adaptability and flexibility of the whole system. From the combination of these various factors the idea of urban resilience sprouts and is the complex management and implementation of these ideas. It is based on this concept of resilience that the author delves into a case study of New York City, specifically the downtown Manhattan…

that influenced the city planning profession from 1914 to present day. Bartholomew’s influence and notability in city planning has three distinct areas (Lovelace, 1993). These three areas include the education of planning professionals, civil service at both the city and national level, and his private practice and advancement of a systematic comprehensive plan (Lovelace, 1993). These three areas tell a story of an individual that had a profound impact on the city planning profession beginning…

The Effects of Growth Management on Housing Affordability Urban planners have theorized and advocated for the practice of various growth management techniques in order to employ smart growth and curb urban sprawl. Growth management frameworks include urban containment methods that restrict where development may occur, impact fees which require developers to cover environmental and infrastructural costs, and design guidelines that promote higher densities and more diverse development types and…