Manual on Urban Planning Chapter III: Residential Land Planning

Residential land planning is going through an era of drastic change. The creation of a better living environment is a major challenge to planners. Engineers are needed as specialists supporting planning activities, and as qualified planners. Special effort is needed to develop such qualifications. Residential plans must take cognizance of existing community plans. Before initiating a planning activity, there should be a detailed project and site analysis. Vehicular circulation within a project is important, but primary emphasis must be on creation of a good living environment. Many concepts in planning are being increasingly employed, such as: clustering, density zoning, open space, recreational features. Careful consideration of economics is essential to a successful planning activity. No matter how well planned, a project can fail to obtain approval from sponsors or from governing authorities if it is poorly explained and presented. Residential urban renewal is a field offering opportunities to the engineer-planner.