Landscape Planning
Introduction
Landscape planning is the scientific study of landscapes to guide past, present, and future potentials to support various land uses that also benefit the ecological and environmental health. Landscape planning has developed into a scientific discipline performed by landscape planners, architects, and natural resource scientists. Landscape planning can be indicated to ancient builders and architects. In this writing, we will discuss how land use and planning have been influenced by the geology of the United States. We will also learn about the role of sociopolitical environment in sustainable planning, as well as the role of landscape form and topography in sustainable planning.
Planning and Land use
Land use planning is similar to regional planning, urban planning, community planning, and any other planning practice that basically plays a role in describing how land is used (O’Rourke, 2008). Urban growth in several areas throughout the history of America has been remarkable. Various situations and driving elements have interacted for more than 225 years to reach a point, wherein 80% of the land’s population now lives in metropolitan areas that inhabit less than 20% of the land area. The amount of comprehensively urbanized land is even less in these metropolitan areas. Urban growth started slowly, increased in the mid 19th century, and then steadily continued throughout the next century. However, the form and reasons for urbanization have changed significantly overtime.
American urban cities grew steadily during the first 75 years of nation transformation, but remained comparatively small in geographic population and area. Most areas were located alongside of transportation access ends such as seaports, along main inland rivers and navigable tidal, along canals, and along the Great Lakes. The regional surroundings beyond the cities produced basic commodities as a branch of rural-based economies. However, by the end of the Civil War, the essence of urban growth started to change. Cities became centers of industry as an entry to regional and local natural resources developed and these resources were oppressed. Furthermore, European social conflict led to a steady flow of immigrants entering the United States. These circumstances were particularly marked in Middle Atlantic and New England States. On the other hand, the South and Midwest remained primarily rural, though regional economies were connected to urban markets. Several Western cities also emerged at this time, although some were important on the national outlook. Generally, their planning and land use turned out to be based on either agriculture or on restricted mineral wealth, which are most Hispanic cultural centers.
The urban growth accelerated after the Civil War. Many cities were established as a result of the rapid growth. Natural resources from all areas of the country were used to increase a speedily expanding industrial country. During this time, most of the country’s urban population was still sited in the Midwest and Northeast. Cities in the West and South lasted to grow, but continue to be smaller, compared to other cities. Changes in agricultural management increased the stream of people to the cities in the start of the century. Farmers in areas, wherein land was of minor quality, several times had to leave agriculture and search for other basis of employment. In the South areas, several African-Americans migrated to northern developed cities to escape the growing malfunction of the sharecropping system that depended on single-cultured cotton production. Hispanic workers arrived to California and to some Western States in growing numbers because new irrigation projects made it possible to increase high-value, but labor-concentrated vegetables and fruits. Local field workers and their families commonly end up living in little, but growing urban areas right through the region (Auch, Taylor & Acevedo, 2004).
Sociopolitical environment in Sustainable planning
When the speed of urbanization accelerated after the Civil War, trains became the leading transportation method throughout the Nation, specifically after 1870, when an efficient mode to mass-produce steel was commenced, allowing the construction of huge rail network. Many cities were made as a result of railroad development, while others expanded in size after becoming rail centers. Industrialization also gained reputation, and by the year 1890, a national economy has been made.
The previous downtown city in the U.S. reached its peak by the end of World War I. the inner hub of the city was the core of industrial production, management, and distribution. These cities were predominantly closely populated because many workers lived in multifamily houses beside their places of employment. Business districts were also being changed into increasing land prices and innovative technologies promoted the production of high-rise buildings, or also called skyscrapers. Suburbanization was basically limited to nearby communities connected to city centers by railway and electric streetcars. New highways were very soon making their initial appearance. The U.S. Census of year 1920 exposed that, for the first time, a higher number of Americans resided in urban than rural surroundings.
The growth of various Sunbelt cities were gained from laissez-faire approach of local governments regarding to sustainable planning. Local boosterism has always been a way though which individual cities could obtain status within local and national urban hierarchies. However, the extensive growth in most of the Sunbelt metropolitan areas was significantly aided by “progrowth” and “probusiness” policies that were distinguished by few regulations. The “boom” ambiance that arisen resulted in perceived communal gains and losses (Auch, Taylor & Acevedo, 2004).
Landscape form and Topography in Sustainable planning
The worldwide focus on sustainability is controlling planning theory to meet in several considerations. There is a definite focus on sustainable planning at a wide topography scale in acknowledgment of the widespread recognition of substantive theories from topography ecology. Under the sustainable planning, single purpose, regional planning is being substituted with adaptable planning that openly recognizes the integrated range of biotic, abiotic and cultural resources purposes. The scale and complexity of broad-scale, multipurpose planning requires a developed disciplinary approach to deal with the complexity of the challenge, while engaging the citizens who are affected by the idea in meaningful ways (Ahern, n.d.).
Most of the high-tech industries regularly cater to the desires and requirements of their specialized workers and are located in areas with rich natural amenities. Furthermore, industry organization has also deserted the city center in favor of areas, which they called “corporate campuses” to be found beside interstate highway crossing points or major airports. Examples of these areas are the municipalities of Oak Brook and Schaumburg in Chicago. Some of these methods are still ongoing inside urban areas. Several cities continue to grow extensively, while some factors have decelerated the growth of others. Some parts of urban areas have reached definite physical limits of topography, and this is one of the reasons why they have occurred to stop growing. After almost a century, several cities in the U.S. have experienced what they called “infilling” of areas that were primarily bypassed during past phases of urbanization. Some urban regions have small areas of land that is available for urban growth inside what has been supposed as their traditional urban foundation, such as San Francisco Bay or the Los Angeles Basin (Auch, Taylor & Acevedo, 2004).
Conclusion
Landscape planning presents alternative geographical arrangements of land uses, which are clearly understood as a major factor in sustainable planning. Sociopolitical environment also plays an important role in sustainable planning because the regulations of industrialization affect the quickening or slowing of urban growth. In addition, the global focus of sustainable planning is to manage planning assumption that needs several considerations regarding the regulations, for the sustainable planning to be acknowledged, particularly in areas that directly need urban growth.
References
Ahern, J. (n.d.). Theories, methods and strategies for sustainable landscape planning. Retrieved from http://library.wur.nl/frontis/landscape_research/09_ahern.pdf
Auch, R., Taylor, J., & Acebedo, W. (2004). Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program Urban Growth in American Cities (Circular 1252). Retrieved from http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/circ1252/#Ongoing
O'Rourke, M. (2008). Landscape Planning and Land Use Planning: Definitions, History and Roles | asla.org. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org/ppn/Article.aspx?id=15112
