Urban Planning Flashcards
1
Q
Examples of Planning Activities
A
- Zoning: how land is used and organized
- Location of various facilities
- Community development
2
Q
Trans-historical issues of planning
A
- NIMBYs, LULUs, BANANAs
- Reform, reproduction, or revolution?
- Is planning even effective
- Planning for whom? City physical form? Developers? Local government? People?
3
Q
Trans-historical issues of planning
A
- NIMBYs, LULUs, BANANAs
- Reform, reproduction, or revolution?
- Is planning even effective
- Planning for whom? City physical form? Developers? Local government? People?
4
Q
Origins of Modern Urban Planning (UK)
A
- Emerged in the UK in 19th century
- UK had strong national government role in urban planning
- Represented in a reformist movement that attempted to design utopian towns
e. g. Cadbury’s Bournville, Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities
5
Q
Bournville
A
- Model village designed by George Cadbury to house Cadbury’s workers
- A company town where workers could live close to work and to each other
- Provided an example of how state could provide good worker conditions without sacrificing corporate profit
6
Q
Garden Cities
A
- A model utopian city by Ebenezer Howard
- Characterized by small, self-subsistent population, diversity of economic and cultural activities, spacious layout, greenbelt, and public ownership of land
- Many cities in the UK drew elements from the concept.
7
Q
City of Towers
A
- A model city by French Architect Le Corbusier
- Characterized by extreme density with spaciousness and green space in between buildings, lots of public space
- No cities actually built, but influenced e.g. Costa’s Brasilia, St. Jame’s Town
- More focus on form than function - the idea that specific form will bring progress to the city
- Characteristic of modern public housing
8
Q
Modern Urban Planning in North America
A
- 19th century progressive intellectuals got together and recognized need for public intervention in city functions (policing, economic development, employment)
- Emergence of City Beautiful Movement, advocating cities as works of art (cities as gardens)
- Many cities began developing master-plans for land-use
- Broadacre city concept influenced development of suburbs
- Cold War period saw the incorporation of defense + paranoia into city designs (e.g. roads as car escape routes)
9
Q
City Beautiful Movement
A
- Reform movement that emerged in the early 1900s advocating for aesthetically pleasing public city (cities as gardens, as works of art) - public art, monuments, green spaces
- E.g. Olstead’s Central Park in NYC, Burnham’s Chicago Plan
- Brought the idea that cities not only need to serve functions, but also need to have beautiful form - and this form promotes harmonious social order
- Critiques include obsession with form over actal social reform
10
Q
Broadacre City
A
- Urban development concept by Frank Lloyd Wright
- The concept is close to modern suburbia “liberating people from mass agglomeration”
- Large lots (an acre of land) for people to live connected by spacious, well-landscaped highways
- HUGE impact on American suburbanization
11
Q
Context of Planning in Canada
A
- Legal: there’s legal framework at al levels of government that governs planning
- Political: planning heavily influenced by politics and hot topic during elections; the importance of planning as a political platform saw the emergence of complex relationships between planners, elected officials, and developers (whom to plan for?) (e.g. Toronto election)
- Economic: economic development heavily dependent on zoning (e.g. industrial hubs, creative hubs, employment zones, etc.)
- Social: neighbourhoods are branded as having certain cultural influences with a host of associated social interactions (e.g. Kensington as the Bohemian neighbourhood)
- Organizational: organizational structure of local government (e.g. city council size)
- Technical: greater use of innovation and technology in planning (e.g. Sidewalk Lab)
12
Q
Contemporary Planning Issues
A
- Urban dispersion and car dominance: growth of suburb sees heavy use of cars; very little integration of people into neighbourhoods in dispersed areas (e.g. Gardiner cuts off lakeshore neighbourhood from the rest of the downtown); freeways section off parts of the city
- Loss of sense of place: loss of feeling connected to the local community (e.g. most suburbs look the same with no character); services are too dispersed in suburbs (can’t “see” the neighbourhood)
- Loss of physical environment: pollution, in appropriate land use
- Loss of social environment: new developments see a loss of many heritage spaces, losing a sense of history and character
- Functional and social segregation: it’s difficult for many people to travel to access services/everyday life/opportunities/other people
- Tension between planners and developers: planners tend to be more creative in order to achieve the goal of building better community whereas developers care less
- Public participation: how to better get input and support from public on planning
- Mistrust of government: political interference in planning
13
Q
Modern Urban Planning in Canada
A
- Emerged in 19th-20th century
- Suburbs heavily influenced by Garden City movement (e.g. Don Mills)
14
Q
Addressing Planning Issues - New Urbanism
A
-New city form (New Urbanism or Neo Traditionalism)
-Emphasizes roles of people and public spaces (neighourhoods don’t exist as places of interaction without people)
-Aims at dealing with loss of sense of place
-Related to garden city concept, city beautiful movement etc.
-Characteristics: public places for interaction (“town square”)
-Re-integration of different uses of land (both functional and social)
-Criticism: disconnect between theory and practice; romanticized notion of previous era cities
Example: Reagent Park - revitalized into mixed-income, mixed-use neighbourhood; grassroots approach with engagement from community leaders
15
Q
Addressing Planning Issues - New Models of Public Participation
A
- Giving people the opportunity and courage to communicate their views
- All views need to be incorporated
e. g. community councils in Toronto (although uncertainty with new 25 ward model)
