In Nigel Taylor's article, he presents several roles for an urban planner. Drawing on this article, other material and your own opinions, should the planner be:
1) advocate for under-represented groups: 2) technical adviser and distanced from political process (the 'good soldier') ; 3)providing technical and strategical advice in the of urban planning process with direct or quasi-political loyality; 4) technical advisor, actively involved in decision-making process but, not connected to political affliation.
Take one of the roles and be an advocate for it. Students should decide who what roles they should take and then also respond in defending this role.
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hello. In my opinion planner should not pay attantion to politics. He must just think about good of overall society. There are many cases that should be solved e.g. everyone ought to have posibility to get to school easly, to green areas, everyday travel to work/school should not take to much time... This all problems should be priorities, not political or particular groups issues
Urban planning theory: a politician’s view
The city, the structured system in which in our times most of the worlds population lives in,
Rules the way of our social behaveiour and at least affects the people and the social groups relationships with each other.
The urban planner takes the role in deciding how this effects will be in the future. As urban planning is something that affects people in direct or indirect way, the planner should be somebody chosen by the people. In our democratic system we have the possibility to elect people in order to manage decisions for us, people with skills in valuing and communicating.
As our modern societies become more and more multicultural, we are dealing with complicated ethnic conflicts in urban planning. While the society is the construct of many ethnic groups and minorities, one should listen to the needs of minorities in modern cities to provide the best possibilities for integration of the people.
But this aim couldn’t be the main focus of urban planning, we should keep in mind that the development of cities should maintain the welfare of everybody and in addition should follow the political direction of a country.
To realize this ideal, the town planner has to posses the skill in managing the process of arriving at planning decisions. Communicate with the people; summarize their views and being able to value in order for an “above” direction.
“…not so much a technical expert (as someone who posses some superior skills to plan towns) but as a facilitator of other people’s view about how a town or a part of a town should be planned``.
(Nigel Taylor: Planning Perspectives, 1999)
Furthermore, the ability to enable the people to understand planning decisions in their environment.
Environmental problems are something that all the planet is facing now – that is a main reason why all the aspects of our activites should conern that issue, particularly including land use planning. Planner should take responsibility of how his decisions will affect population – is there something more affective in long-distance perspective than irrevisable environmental changes?
„Saving of the world” has been concerned on international level many times – it has been important matter for many years. The effects of discussions and debates held by politicians and scientists are for example international agreements and resolutions (Protocol of Kioto or Agenda 21, just to mention a few). This is already under no discussion that environmental perspective should be applied today to every possible sort of activity. The awareness of environmental threats should not be only the feature of those who create general laws and regulations on national level, but also, if not especially, of those who work with smaller areas and have to do with „small”, apparently not important cases.
If we, as the humans in general, want to improve our Earth (or at least not to make things worse), we should definitely take it under consideration while making the ideas of possible land use. We can use here the medical rule: it is better to prevent than to treat.
What are the particular areas, where planner should be aware of his decisons’ impact?
According to Kaiser et al., it is among others seperation of home, work and service (causing excessive auto travel and in the end increasing the air pollution) as a good example of the local planning influence on global environment. Reasonable solutions are necessary within such issues as wastewater, rubbish dumps or water sources – the planner needs to have knowledge about interactions in the nature to avoid disastrous undertakings, for example locating rubbish dump at the place where the level of the underground water is high. The authors of the Urban Land Use Planning state that the recognizing the connections between land use and environmental quality should be integrated into land use planning process. In fact, all of three coneptions, given by Ortolano (1984, after Kaiser et al.), can be applied into land use: efficient use of natural resources, maintaining integrity of natural systems or pure preservation of nature.
What is more, environmental approach to planning has also economical aspect – as in the example of global warming caused by excessive auto travel, which can lead to floods destroying valuable coastal areas (Kaiser et al. 1995). This may concern the usage of natural resources as well. As we see – it is not only the matter of ideological discussion, but also the economical issue.
Summing up I need to tell that a planner has a big and difficult task to solve. That requires a lot of knowledge and experience in many different disciplines. But first of all, the planner should be a person that takes care of our habitat – he should know how to link economical, social and environmental values into what is called the sustainable development.
References:
Kaiser E.J., Godschalk D.R., Chapin F.S.,Jr, 1995, Urban Land Use and Planning, University of Illinois Press
Ortolano L., 1984, Environmental planning and decission making, New York: John Wiley and Sons
Urban planning theory: a politician’s view
The city, the structured system in which in our times most of the worlds population lives in,
Rules the way of our social behaviour and at least affects the people and the social groups relationships with each other.
The urban planner takes the role in deciding how this effects will be in the future. As urban planning is something that affects people in direct or indirect way, the planner should be somebody chosen by the people. In our democratic system we have the possibility to elect people in order to manage decisions for us, people with skills in valuing and communicating.
As our modern societies become more and more multicultural, we are dealing with complicated ethnic conflicts in urban planning. While the society is the construct of many ethnic groups and minorities, one should listen to the needs of minorities in modern cities to provide the best possibilities for integration of the people.
But this aim couldn’t be the main focus of urban planning, we should keep in mind that the development of cities should maintain the welfare of everybody and in addition should follow the political direction of a country.
To realize this ideal, the town planner has to posses the skill in managing the process of arriving at planning decisions. Communicate with the people; summarize their views and being able to value in order for an “above” direction.
“…not so much a technical expert (as someone who posses some superior skills to plan towns) but as a facilitator of other people’s view about how a town or a part of a town should be planned``.
(Nigel Taylor: Planning Perspectives, 1999)
Furthermore, the ability to enable the people to understand planning decicions in their environment.
Lukasz Kowalski - technical adviser and distanced from political process (the 'good soldier').
Cities are extremely complicated, dynamic and complex systems. Cities, which are not well-planned have many problems: infrastructural, sociological, economical etc.. According to John De Grove development of cities should outstrip the capacity of intrastructure such as: roads, water and sewer systems, schools. (De Grove J. 1989). It is crucial to make proper city plan, which perfectly respond needs of its habitants. Thereby planning process should be well-considered and specialist with sufficient knowledge and skills must take major part in creating it.
Good planner should be a scienciest. His skills and knowledge must be appropriate to town planning. He should carry out technical tasks with rigor and objectivity. In respond to complexcity of cities a number of analyses should be made. It is very difficult task and great responsibility. It is essential to be aware of problems and effects of decisions that may occur e.g. giving a permition for building new residential area in not proper place can increase transportation problem of the city, planning city-growth along the valley, not slopes, can increase an air pollution. Thus planning the city should be arranged by people who understand these all procecess. They cannot work for particular groups, but be civil servants. It is compulsory to think always about good of all society. Reffering to Urban Land Use and Planning planner must guide urban development that contain „equity, accessibility, efficiency and enviromental quality” (Kaiser E.J. 1995).
However these all features are undoubtely important there should be sufficient technological supply. Planner must be obligated to be familiar with GIS programmes (or have staff which is). Considering, how city system is complicated planner should also be a good manager. He should have specialists who will give him solutions of problems and he should manage their work and decide which solution is the best one. According to Nigel Taylor's article nowadays many planners reckon that they are managers and facilitators and do not have special expertise in planning towns (Tylor N. 1999). Nevertheless they must have proper knowledge and be very comprehensive to be good managers to choose right decisions. In reality there are many „players” who influe on decisions e.g. politics, corporations. Their influence cannot disturb the plan. If it does, city can have much more problems beacause of this.
Suming up town planners in my opinion should be experts and have great knowledge and skills in city-designing. They must be aware of effects of their decisions. They must be civil servants, solve problems of all comunity, not particular groups.
References:
De Grove J., 1989. Groth management and governance. In Understanding growth management: Critical issues and a research agenda, ed. D. Brover, D. Godschalk, and D. Porter/ Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute
Kaiser E.J., Godschalk D.R., Chapin F.S.,Jr, 1995, Urban Land Use and Planning, University of Illinois Press
Taylor, Nigel (1999) 'Anglo-American town planning theory since
1945: three significant developments but no paradigm shifts', Planning Perspectives,
14:4, 327 - 345
Although there were marked differences between the traditional conception of town
planning as an exercise in physical planning and design, and the conception of town
Anglo-American town planning theory since 1945 333
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planning as a rational process of decision-making directed at the analysis and control of
urban systems, there was one thing that both these views had in common. Both presumed
that the town planner was someone who possessed, or should possess, some specialist
knowledge and skill – some substantive expertise – which the layperson did not possess. It
was this which quali.ed the planner to plan. And since a central condition of
professionalism is the possession of some specialist knowledge or skill, it was this, too,
which justi.ed any claim town planners might make to constitute a distinct ‘profession’.
Clearly, views about the content of the specialist skill appropriate to town planning
varied according to which of the foregoing conceptions of planning were adopted. Under
the traditional design-based view of town planning, the relevant skills were seen to be
primarily those of aesthetic appreciation and urban design. Under the systems and rational
process views, the skills were those of scienti.c analysis and rational decision-making. But
still under both conceptions, the town planner was conceived as someone with a specialist
knowledge, understanding, and=or skill. However, this whole idea of the planner as
someone with some substantive expertise came in its turn to be challenged by an alternative
view of town planning.
advocate for under-represented groups
a urban planner have to represent minorities or people without representation in the government or where ever. Because without representation it´s possible that conflicts in a community increase. A urban planner have to find a balance between all groups involved in the palnning process. But in particular he should be aware of the needs of the voiceless groups or minorities.
To guarantee such thing as sustainable development, there is not only the necessity to link the aspects, that build our city, the urbanity in which we live in, such as economical, social and environmental matters, which requires an ‘overall’ view, such as the politicians.
But there has to be a direction in planning, based on scientific prognosis of the afore said aspects. Technical environmental or structural problems, such as for example traffic logistic, apparently ask for a technical knowledge and should be solved with the best solutions in this division of urban planning.
As our cities get more and more complicated know a days, especially with the increasing challenges of globalisation, the ability of communicating gains importance. This is why there is a need of connecting, connecting with the people, the environment, the material surrounding us and connecting the divisions of urban planning such as they become one plan.
Therefore consultative scientists in the different divisions are undoubtably needed, but the role of a modern planner should be in between to insure a superior view on the process. So who else could fill this civil serving role, as a deputy of the people, elected by the people?
Prevented with the necessary skills and and outlook which is in common interest.
According to Nigel Taylor´s text, it´s necessary to find a balance between all interests and opinions that different groups hold in a planning process.
But there is some criticism in spite of all the given arguments and comments that are posted.
A planning process or a project shouldn´t only satisfies the political interests of a prevalent government in a country. Because this leads directly to misplanning. There are plenty of examples in the world. Therefor it´s inevitable to enable the parties to participation in a given planning process. Especially if a project affects a special social group, like under-represented minorities. A society or parts of a society that can´t participate in the formation of their neighbourhood will be unsatisfied soon or later by accomplished projects.
In this case, conflicts will arise. To avoid such complications, a democratic participation is inescapably for projects that should be accepted by all involved or affected groups.
For this purpose, a planner shouldn´t only follow powerful interest groups. He or she should turn one´s attention to underprivileged participants. The others allready have a voice and most of the privileged have powerful representatives in different positions.
According to Nigel Taylor´s text, it´s necessary to find a balance between all interests and opinions that different groups hold in a planning process.
But there is some criticism in spite of all the given arguments and comments that are posted.
A planning process or a project shouldn´t only satisfies the political interests of a prevalent government in a country. Because this leads directly to misplanning. There are plenty of examples in the world. Therefor it´s inevitable to enable the parties to participation in a given planning process. Especially if a project affects a special social group, like under-represented minorities. A society or parts of a society that can´t participate in the formation of their neighbourhood will be unsatisfied soon or later by accomplished projects.
In this case, conflicts will arise. To avoid such complications, a democratic participation is inescapably for projects that should be accepted by all involved or affected groups.
For this purpose, a planner shouldn´t only follow powerful interest groups. He or she should turn one´s attention to underprivileged participants. The others allready have a voice and most of the privileged have powerful representatives in different positions.
“No single theory of planning or urban change adequately describes the complex and dynamic reality of land use planning practice under some conditions of competition change and reciprocity.
Management land use change should be these approaches; intelligence collection, advance planning, development management, and problem solving- are the monitor and guide continuing change the best benefit community.”
“The players are locked together in a frame work of interdependence in which they must gain agreement from other players in order to achieve their goals. Thus the process’s competition is tempered with the need for cooperation as well.”
We have several urban planning theories and in Nigel Taylor’s article she offers us two main chosen for new urban planning distance from political loyalty. One of them is that, to build new and technology, information cities, using the rational process. The other one is that, to build artistic and environmental cities at the same time related with technical infrastructure.
Understanding the nature of the land use game is the first step toward developing an art and science of land use planning and development management.
In this case we can offer that approaches, it should be to preserve the central part of city’s (as a historical places) then to build second new urban area harmonic with environment and city’s history, and then to build an area rapidly developing communicate and transportation through it’s surround.
Also we can consider the land use planning as a science and engineering department. While we planning it, some technical infrastructure; such as Computer technology and GIS studies will be supply us more durable constructions and cities.
Besides “The coming years are likely to bring even more environmental threats, leading to calls for extra ordinary measures locally, nationally and internationally. These will cover a wide front from air and water quality to resource conservation measures to mitigation of natural and manmade hazards. They will force federal and state attention to and investment in, new and more sophisticated environmental monitoring and management systems.”
The other article utopian cities whose McAdam’s there are some models of the future cities. It is defined with (IAHTC) The high technology or the technology city one of them is Ebenezer Howard’s garden cities type. Maybe it can be work in the future; because it had been practiced in USA and U.K.
And the other one is Wright looks at the technology as a tool of the rural and liberty residential on the other hand Le Corbusier offers tower blocks huge and include so many flats in order to much more green belt and to separate pedestrian ways with vehicles ways.
Nigel Taylor, planning Perspectives.
The land planning Arena- Rudel 1989.
Concepts of land use change management. Rosenau.
Michael A mcAdams information Age cities.
URBAN PLANNING
An Urban Planner should be a technical advisor and distanced from political process. They should have specialized knowledge and skills and some substantive expertise, for example; an architect, a geographer, and a landscape architect can be good urban planners. They should also have some relevant skills like aesthetic appreciation and urban design. As I am a geographer trying to become an expert on geography, I claim that, the practice of town planning requires some specialist substantive knowledge or skills about urban design, system analysis, urban regeneration, sustainable development. Let me give an example we need to be designing earthquake durable buildings together with civil engineers, geographysicists and geographers who should know which place is most suitable for settlement. Technical advising and political processes can’t go together. An urban planner should behave scientifically in solving the problems and planning urban areas. To give a concrete example, the Acarkent issue is a good example for the fact that an urban planner should be distanced from political process. And another example is the deforestation, urban sprawl, irregular urbanization and unauthorized residences in Istanbul Bosphorous area. Until 2000, the municipalities had all the authorities and responsibilities for urban planning, but unfortunately political discriminations, misusages and abuses were done a lot that gave way to irregular cities and because of this the authority is now Bayındırlık ve İskan Bakanlığı. This application confirms and proves my point of view.
Sümeyra Kurt
Büyükçekmece Lake and Watershed Protection Area
We should be aware that the below mentioned points are necessary to protect a watershed area. There are some “Do”s and “Don’t”s that should be applied and also some imoportant criteria, standarts and control measurements for such watershed protection areas given below.
DO...
• Follow Guidelines for septic tank maintenance.
• Use non-phosphate detergents.
• Leave or plant naturally vegetated areas (buffer strips), and leave/place rocks along lake shores.
• Preserve natural topography. Properly shape roads, ditches and driveways to reduce soil erosion.
• Use organic materials (e.g., compost), and biological or cultural controls in your landscape.
• Use fertilizer sparingly.
• Prevent runoff from driveways, roofs, lawns, etc., from going directly into lakes/streams. Detain runoff in depressions, or divert flow to flat, wooded areas.
• Use chemicals as a last resort. Seek the least hazardous product to accomplish the job. Purchase the smallest amounts needed. Follow directions carefully. Store hazardous materials in a contained areas.
• Pick up pet wastes and dispose of them in the garbage or toilet.
• When boating, bring back what you take out.
• Repair, paint and maintain boats in dry dock.
• When leaving a lake, remove any visible aquatic vegetation (weeds) from boat, propeller, anchor, lines and trailer and discard in trash.
• Discard all live aquatic bait in suitable containers. Empty live wells and bait buckets.
• If you move your boat from lake to lake, dry out your boat for at least two days or wash down hull with tap water before launching again; and flush engine cooling system and live wells with tap water. • DON'T use excessive amounts of herbicides and pesticides in gardens or on lawns.
DON'T...
• DON'T apply fertilizer right before it rains.
• DON'T put leaves, branches or other organic matter into a lake.
• DON'T wash cars near lakes, streams or drainage ditches.
• DON'T dump motor oil down a storm drain or on the ground. Recyle it.
• DON'T allow water to run directly off roads into lakes or streams.
• DON'T dispose of paint thinners or chemical products on the ground.
• DON'T put in excessive impervious surfaces (paving, etc.).
• DON'T throw litter on the ground or down storm drains. Recyle as much as possible.
• DON'T sweep leftover sand from the road or driveway into storm drains.
• DON'T dump trash or plastic into water bodies.
• DON'T dump boat sewage into a lake.
• DON'T overfill fuel tanks on boats or pump out oily water.
• DON'T dispose of aquatic plants (e.g., plants from aquariums or water gardens) by releasing them into a natural waterway.
• DON'T release live aquatic bait into the water.
• DON'T feed waterfowl.
SUMEYRA KURT
References:
http://www.woodstockconservation.org/watershed_dos_and_donts.htm
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