Practical Tools for Urban Planning

A key message to emerge from Greencluster is that the research community is able to develop highly relevant tools for urban development. There is, however, a need to improve the structures for communication between researchers and those responsible for putting research into practice. The Greencluster exercise resulted in the development of a wide range of   practical tools which, it is hoped, will enhance the capacity of city managers, public authorities and enterprises to plan and design urban green and open space in different climatic and cultural contexts. These included new developments in the area of decision support systems, participatory planning tools, the use of spatial concepts, GIS and remote-sensing applications, spatial and climatic modelling and compensation principles.  The cities involved in the five projects are already using and implementing the results of the work carried out. It is hoped that this practice will gradually spread and that, in time, the tools produced will help to support the improved planning and maintenance of urban green spaces throughout the world.

Example of practical tool for greening the building.

Greening the City and The Benefits

The role of parks and green open spaces in urban areas is often underestimated, while the potential of these areas to improve both the quality of life of city dwellers and urban sustainability is not always being fully realised. Five EU- funded research projects address, from different angles, the function of green space in the urban environment and ways of better integrating the management and planning of these areas into the process of urban development. 

Parks and gardens can serve several purposes: esthetic, recreational, act as a reserve for local wildlife, a play area for children, or a peaceful retreat for adults, ect.

Around 80% of the European Union’s population lives in cities and towns. Urban areas are, therefore, the places in which environmental problems most affect the day-to-day life of Europe’s citizens.   Green, open spaces in urban areas have significant potential to improve the quality of life of city and town dwellers, the urban environment and urban sustainability. However, this potential is not always fully recognised or realised.

Five research projects funded under the EU’s Fifth Framework Programme for Research (Key Action 4: City of Tomorrow and Cultural Heritage) address the role of green and open spaces in urban sustainability and ways of improving, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the provision of green and open space as well as the quality of life in European urban areas.

Benefits

The benefits of green spaces were measured in terms of improved air quality, lower noise levels, economic gain and quality of life. Evaluations were carried out at both a micro (park, gardens, etc.) and intermediate (whole urban area and urban/rural interaction) scale. Geographic maps based on remote-sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and spatial modelling techniques, were used to visualise the accessibility and connectivity of green areas, as well as locations for potential greening sites. The project highlights the role of green space in reducing environmental degradation.

The Aspect for the Urban Planning for the Environment

Environmental factors

Environmental Protection and conservation are of utmost importance to many planning systems across the world. Not only are the specific effects of development to be mitigated, but attempts are made to minimize the overall effect of development on the local and global environment. This is commonly done through the assessment of sustainable urban infrastructure and micro-climate. In Europe this process is known as a sustainability appraisal.

In most advanced urban or village planning models, local context is critical. In many, gardening and other outdoor activities assumes a central role in the daily life of citizens. Environmental planners focus now on smaller and larger systems of resource extraction and consumption, energy production, and waste disposal. A practice known as Arcology seeks to unify the fields of ecology and architecture, using principles of landscape architecture to achieve a harmonious environment for all living things. On a small scale, the eco-village theory has become popular, as it emphasizes a traditional 100-140 person scale for communities.

An urban planner can use a number of quantitative tools to forecast impacts of development on the environmental, including roadway air dispersion models to predict air quality impacts of urban highways and roadway noise models to predict noise pollution effects of urban highways. As early as the 1960s, noise pollution was addressed in the design of urban highways as well as noise barriers. The Phase Environmental Site Assessment can be an important tool to the urban planner by identifying early in the planning process any geographic areas or parcels which have toxic constraints.

Tall buildings in particular can have a substantial effect in channelling winds and shading large areas. The micro-climate around the building will typically be assessed as part of the environmental impact assessment for the building.

Health and environment linkages in the urban environment

By promoting a shift from private to public transport and seeking to reduce congestion, urban transport projects not only aim to improve air quality and decrease noise nuisance, but also help to tackle climate change by enhancing energy efficiency and limiting CO2 emissions. EIB financing for sustainable urban transport is in line with the EU’s transport, environmental and energy policies and includes:

• construction, extension or rehabilitation of public transport infrastructures (metro, light rail or tramway systems)
• acquisition of rolling stock in major and medium-sized cities

To achieve a balance between the growing demand for mobility and the quality of the urban environment, limits are set on levels of new infrastructure built and long-term urban planning processes are implemented.

Rapid, unplanned and unsustainable patterns of urban development are making developing cities focal points for many emerging environment and health hazards. As urban populations grow, the quality of the urban environment, will play an increasingly important role in public health with respect to issues ranging from solid waste disposal, provision of safe water and sanitation, and injury prevention, to the interface between urban poverty, environment and health.

Urban Environment: Sustainable Consumption and Production

1. Plastic carrier bag waste from food and grocery shopping to be reduced/prevented;

Plastic bags comprise a significant quantity of urban solid waste. Plastics alone comprise 24% of solid waste (9th Malaysia Plan). Because of their convenience and versatility of use they have become an almost indispensable aspect of modern urban living. Incidentally because of these qualities, plastic bags also contribute to increased consumption patterns; it is so convenient to purchase more with plastic bags.

However because plastic bags are non biodegradable and are known to clog drains and interfere with river flows etc they have become an urban environmental and health menace. Not withstanding this with Malaysian petroleum reserves declining it is going to be expensive to continue to depend on plastic carrier bags; plastics being a by product of petroleum. It is therefore imperative that we find alternatives and substitutes to plastic carrier bags. The 9th Malaysia Plan advocates the greater use of environmental friendly materials and bio-plastics.

This strategy can provide a means of reducing poverty levels among marginalised groups like poor single mothers and indigenous people who can produce the cloth bags and rattan baskets respectively. This supports Malaysia’s commitments towards the Millennium Development Goal No: 1.

2. Insufficient parks and nature reserves in urban areas

The population of Malaysia is currently concentrated in the urban areas. Due to the rapid pace of development in the last 45 years, our towns and cities appear to be mainly a built environment. The Malaysian urban public however, needs more outdoor nature recreational facilities for better health and well being. It is the least we should expect of a developed Malaysia. The good news is that the Malaysian Cabinet has just announced (NST; Nov 25th 2006) that it wants a large scale public park in the city of Kuala Lumpur to complement the existing parks. The objective is to promote healthy living. MENGO needs to leverage upon this announcement and upon the mandatory requirements of the Malaysian Town and Country Planning Act, the National Landscape Policy and the goals of the 9th Malaysia Plan, to urge the government to build more parks and zone nature reserves within the urban areas of Malaysia. These parks and nature reserves could serve as wildlife corridors and as islands of biodiversity.

3. Poor surface water quality of urban rivers/streams/monsoon drains

The population of Malaysia is concentrated largely in cities and towns. Facilities that serve the population include industries, food outlets and restaurants that are also largely located within the urban areas. These urban facilities and the population they serve have significantly polluted urban waterways. The pollution is due largely to chemical and oil spills/effluent discharges from industries and occasionally (it is uncertain how often really) of bulk liquid food discharges such as milk from dairy industries and waste curry and cooking oil from restaurants. These are the common and significant point sources of pollution within urban areas. The quality and frequency of effluent discharge into our urban water ways needs to be monitored by as many stakeholders as possible. Then only will there be a true partnership towards a common goal and for a common good – for cleaner waters and a healthy environment.

Why in particular should we be concerned with the surface water quality of our urban waterways? Ninety eight (98%) of our water supply incidentally is abstracted from our rivers and streams (STAR, 18 Feb.2003), that is in effect a very significant source of our water supply. Urban sources of water pollution therefore undermine the security of the quality of our fresh waters. Freshwaters are an ecosystem which provides a vital provisioning service for humankind. It must therefore receive the utmost attention and protection.

Urban Environment Description

The phrase connotes the idea that a large percentage of the human environment is man-made, and these artificial surroundings are so extensive and cohesive that they function as organism in the consumption of resources, disposal of wastes, and facilitation of productive enterprise within its bounds. Recently there has also been considerable dialogue and research into the built environment's impact on population health.

It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has been linked to emergent disciplines such as landscape urbanism. However, with its increasing prominence in the activities of these disciplines, it is better conceptualised as a design practice that operates at the intersection of all three, and requires a good understanding of a range of others besides, such as real estate development, urban economics, political economy and social theory.