BUR 306: URBAN DESIGN AND SITE PLANNING

LECTURE 4: SITE PLANNING

•THE NOTION OF SITE PLANNING•SITE PLANNING PROCESS•SITE ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS AND SITE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY•PLAN GENERATION•IMPLEMENTATION AND SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Notion of Site Planning

Definition: Site Planning is the deliberate and systematic process of guiding development of land through determination of the detailed layout of an area in relation to the natural environment and human requirements.

In the overall planning process, site planning features after the strategic (overall) planning has taken place and after location of land uses has been decided in relation to social, economic and environmental needs.

As an integral part of land-use planning, site planning will take into consideration a given range of land uses on the site in question and others around it.

Site planning is essentially based on the assumption that there is an interaction between the social needs of users (space required for different users, as well as their physical comfort and psychological well-being) and the physical and natural environment characteristics of each site (slope aspect, sunshine, soil, vegetation and fauna, etc).

Why do you need Site Planning?

To gain an understanding of the manner in which people’s actions are constrained and limited by the physical environment.

To conserve what remains of the flora and fauna that make up the natural world.

To provide for people’s primary needs such as shelter, food and economic activity

To encourage the development of environments which people experience as satisfactory places in which to live, work or play.

What entails Site Planning?

• What should happen on a given area of land – actual land use and related transportation and infrastructure requirements

• Where it should happen – suitability of location• How it should happen – design of the site• An evaluation of the vast range of environmental, social and

economic factors which should have a bearing on the decision-making process

• What it will cost to implement and manage the project on that area of land

When to produce a Site Plan

A site plan becomes necessary when one or both of the scenarios below prevails: -

1. Whenever it is proposed to change the use of an area of land or build on all or part of it. This will include but not limited to

Housing development, industrial developments, commercial developments, recreational developments, infrastructure developments, etc.

2. Whenever it is proposed to change the way in which an area of land and its associated landscapes is managed and maintained. This will include but not limited to

Housing rehabilitation/ renewal, industrial area re-planning, commercial area regeneration, reclamation of derelict land, afforestation, additional or improved parks and open spaces, etc.

Who needs to know about a site plan?

Anybody involved in making decisions about land-use change on specific sites and involved in considering such change in relation to environmental, social and economic factors needs to understand how the physical and natural environment constrains what man can do on an area of land

Site planning aims to take into consideration the interests of society as a whole as well as those of the developers, when determining what should and what should not happen on the land. Developers and politicians alike need to understand the benefits of site planning by ensuring that unnecessarily expensive development solutions are not chosen. It equally assists in the reduction of the long-term management costs associated with operating on a site.

Site planning and the cost of development

It is important to understand the actual cost of the alternative solutions to the developer and also the costs to society, which result from the proposed development. Costs to society are incurred, for instance, through: -

1.The need to provide an adequate infrastructure.

2.The extra work, which has to be carried out to protect adjacent natural resources.

3.The need to create new landscapes because of damage to the visual resources caused by the development.

4.The need to relocate people whose lives are disturbed by an unacceptable land-use change, e.g. one which increases the local noise levels, dam construction, housing re-development

Levels of Site Planning

Levels of Site Planning: different levels of site planning depending on the size of a site

1. Unit/Plot

2. Cluster

3. Neighbourhood [s]

4. Part of an urban area

5. Urban Area

Principles are the same but only differ in the amount of details and the complexity of issues to be tackled.

Micro-level sites can be handled by the landowner, the developer or a single professional person. However, macro-level sites with complex and complicated issues and with diverse environmental problems require large teams of experts to work on problems posed by developing such sites. An overall coordinator will have to be appointed to link the work done by people from different disciplines.

Multi-disciplinary Nature of Site PlanningMulti-disciplinary nature of site planning arises from the need to evolve a detailed design of the site.

The increasing complexity of a site requires the separation of the site planning stages from the site design stage.

In effect this will be carried out by different professional experts.

The professions, disciplines and experts most likely to be involved in site planning are:

Landscape architects, architects, urban designers, civil engineers.

Environmental planners, town planners, land-use planners, economic planners, social planners.

Building scientists, climatologists, geologists, ecologists, hydrologists and archaeologists.

Estate managers, housing managers, recreation managers, open space managers.

Public health, fire and safety staff.

Built environment conservation staff, natural environment conservation staff, rural management staff.

Foresters, farmers.

Multi-disciplinary Nature of Site Planning contd.

The Site Planning Process: Producing a Site Plan

CLIENT WANTS TO DEVELOP A SITE

TECHNICAL TEAM ASSEMBLED

 

KEY ISSUES IDENTIFIED ALTERNATIVE SITES EXAMINED

 

DISCUSSIONS WITH LOCAL PLANNERS

 

SITE INVENTORY PRESENT AND FUTURE USER NEEDS

 

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES SITE POTENTIAL ASSESSED

ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTS EXAMINED

 

SITE PLAN

PLANNING APPROVAL SOUGHT BY CLIENT

DESIGN AND SITE MANAGEMENT BRIEFS DEVELOPED.

(Source: Beer, Anne R. (1990), Environmental planning for site development, London: E & F Spon)

SITE PLANNING PROCESSInitiating a site planning processThe owner of the area of land, or a person or organization with an interest in the land, normally initiates the site planning procedure.

The site planning process commences when the client conceptualizes the need to develop a site and hence determines the need for a site plan. The complexity of the site and the problems involved are the determining factors in the composition of a site planning team.

Professionals such as land-use planners, environmental planners, architects and/or landscape architects may then be commissioned to guide the developer on the financial, environmental, physical, etc benefits and advantages of carrying out the site planning procedure.

A Site Planning Team

 

In the site planning team, many people are involved in the decision-making process. They include:-

The client-the developer, the builder, the financier.

The technical team; landscape architects, planners, architects, engineers, surveyors.

The community: the local community, the future users, the local leaders (councillors, etc) and the council officers.

Why site planning requires a special planning process?

1. To enable a systematic decision-making process in thinking the whole range of issues that relate to what should happen on an area of land. This guarantees ‘objective’ rather than ‘subjective’ analysis in the production of a site plan.

2. To systematically analyze the interactions of the complex man/environment relationships.

3. To reduce social, economic and environmental costs to the society.

Site planning emerges with a Site and Layout Plan and is inextricably related to the design of the site. The site plan seeks to create the least damage to the physical and natural environment while at the same time provides adequate environmental settings for the people who will be affected by the new development.

Brief formulationThe client’s brief is formulated from the point of the view of

1.What the developer wants to do – client’ goals and aspirations.

2.Who will use the development;

3.What they will use it for;

4.When they will use it;

5.The location and size of site the client intends to develop;

6.Any special requirements the client has about the form and type and style and location of the development.

7.How much the client is intending to spend on the development and the associated works;

8.The time-scale of the proposed development and any proposals to phase it;

9.What the client and/or future users might reasonably be expected to contribute in terms of long-term maintenance activities.

Problem StatementThe site planning team proceeds to visit the selected site and familiarizes themselves with it.

The local planning authority officials should then be visited in order to determine the feasibility of the project based on the strategies and policies governing the planning of the local area.

With regard to any other interested parties, the planners knowledge of similar problems elsewhere and of the area within which the development is proposed, a preliminary list of key issues to be resolved is prepared – this is what is known as the problem statement.

Site InventoryThe inventory (mapping) of a site refers to the documentation of the site’s character.

Documentation is mainly done through drawings that are analyzed to provide informed decision-making to the design process of a given site.

Without documentation of a site’s condition, the designer’s site assessment is relegated to memory and perceptual bias.

The accuracy and objectivity of the research and data collection of the site inventory enables us to investigate with credibility the conditions of a site’s environmental quality and context and the opportunity for change as it relates to the client’s terms of reference, the user’s requirements and the site planner’s decisions.

Base MapsThe recording of the basic information gathered will be produced and presented in the form of plans and/or maps and supplemented by written statements.

The maps required include:-

Regional context of study area 1:1 000 000, 1:500 000

Urban or Rural context of the site 1:250 000

A location plan 1: 10 000, 1: 20 000

A project area plan. 1:500, 1: 1 250, 1: 2 500, 1: 5 000

Legal requirements data• Boundary line survey (ownership and acreage,

easements (Location, width and purpose) or other encumbrances, rights –of-way, scale, north arrow, bench mark and date of survey.

• Restrictive covenants or deed restrictions.

• Existing land uses and buildings

• Zoning requirements (existing and proposed), (permitted user or special exceptions, density of development, set backs/height limits, plot ratios and ground coverage).

Local Planning Information

Adjacent land uses, building and other infrastructure

Existing roads (Highways, primary arterials, secondary collectors, tertiary streets, service roads).

Names and location.

Rights of way

Bridges, kerbs, gutters, culverts

Location of utilities

Water and sewerage lines

Electricity and telephone lines

Street lights

Invert levels of sewer manholes, sewer profile

Public parks and open spaces.

Environmental Data

Physical and Natural Environment

Geology and Soils

Topography

Drainage & Hydrology – surface water and sub-surface water

Macro-climate and micro-climate

Vegetation – plants (grass, shrubs, trees), Relative ecological value.

Wildlife

Social Environment & User Requirements

Population {size, population structure, age-sex ratio and pyramid, gender ratio, population distribution and densities, HH sizes}

Historical development

Landscape – views, vistas and scenery; landscape types and characters.

Unique areas and features and landmarks. Historic features.

The functioning of the site in terms of Activities in buildings and Activities outside the buildings

Movement patterns-circulation

SYNTHESISThis stage requires critical analysis of both the secondary and primary data including the reconciliation of conflicting information. The various constituent maps are overlaid to emerge with the prominent constraints and inherent opportunities of the site’s characters. Further reinforcing documentation will be documented in a report. These aggregate critical emerging issues represented in written as well as graphical/visual from culminates in a design criteria form, which lays a firm foundation for the site design process to commence.

The suitability of the site for the various users’ activities are carefully identified based on the information analyzed of the site inventory. A further assessment of the site potential indicates the assets and liabilities and the constraints, limitations, problems and challenges towards the development of the site.

SITE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGYRe-statement of the problem and Generation of Site Development Concepts

This stage in the process requires a re-statement of the goals and objectives, which is based on the identification of fit between the site, the users and the client’s terms of references. This permits the reconciliation and review of the client’s brief against the emerging critical planning and design issues arising from the inherent constraints and opportunities of the site’s character.

PLAN GENERATIONSite Design Process and Preparation of Alternative Site Plans

At this stage the site planner evaluates collectively and in detail the various options available to answer the client’s brief as close as possible by visualizing various conceptual ideas for the development of the site.

This is mainly carried out by preparing bubble diagrams of how the general relationships of the different human activities, buildings and other infrastructure should be developed on the various areas of the site.

The site planner, through “trial and error”, evaluates the various strategies of achieving the goals and objectives of the client, by developing, preparing and evaluating various alternative plans, that reflect various acceptable relationships between the land uses and human activities, buildings and open spaces, plots etc.

PREFERRED SITE PLAN

This stage entails the eventual resolution of conflicts bearing in mind the satisfaction of the various social, economic and legal requirements, environmental requirements, meeting planning regulations, client’s demands and user’s requirements and incorporating the planning and design vocabulary of the site planner. This incorporates the most ideal user’s environmental setting, aesthetic and functional qualities of the land uses and/or activities. The site plan must define all the existing features to be retained and those to be modified.

It equally indicates the location for all the required buildings and structures. The position and width of roadways and footpaths are defined, as well as the possible routes for the underground and overhead infrastructure services.

The preferred site plan should be tested against the goals and objectives and modified appropriately. It should then be presented to the client and users in draft form for their comment, after which a finally-approved site plan is prepared.

IMPLEMENTATION

PLAN PROGRAMMING, SCHEDULING AND BUDGETING

The site planning process is useful for coping with the financial aspects of planning. It allows for a full description of the work that needs to be carried out on the site. This includes the preparation of the site, the construction of the built elements on the site, the planting of the vegetation and the maintenance requirements. This information is useful in evaluating the detailed assessment of the cost of implementation of the scheme and of the design costs. Costing of each aspect of a scheme allows the site planner to provide information on the total costs. It equally allows a limited attempt at financial evaluation of alternative solutions to both the design and the management of the site.

SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN

IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION

A site management plan takes into consideration how the land and landscapes will be managed once the scheme is implemented.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION & COMPLIANCE WITH DEVELOPMENT CONTROL REGULATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITS

It is the management of the land and elements comprising the landscape, which, together with the location and distribution of those elements determine the appearance of the landscape and whether it survives in its present form or gradually changes.