Regional planning
Encyclopedia
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning
deals with the specific issues of city planning. Both concepts are encapsulated in spatial planning
using a eurocentric definition.
, regional planning may encompass more than one state (such as the RPA) or a larger conurbation or network of settlements. North American regional planning is likely to cover a much larger area than the Regional Assemblies of England, but both are equally ‘regional’ in nature.
s; protection of farmland
, cities, industrial space, transportation hubs and infrastructure, military bases, and wilderness. Regional planning is the science of efficient placement of infrastructure and zoning for the sustainable growth of a region. Advocates for regional planning such as new urbanist Peter Calthorpe
, promote the approach because it can address region-wide environmental, social, and economic issues which may necessarily require a regional focus.
A ‘region’ in planning terms can be administrative or at least partially functional, and is likely to include a network of settlements and character areas. In most European countries, regional and national plans are ‘spatial’ directing certain levels of development to specific cities and towns in order to support and manage the region depending on specific needs, for example supporting or resisting, polycentrism
.
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
deals with the specific issues of city planning. Both concepts are encapsulated in spatial planning
Spatial planning
Spatial planning refers to the methods used by the public sector to influence the distribution of people and activities in spaces of various scales. Discrete professional disciplines which involve spatial planning include land use planning, urban planning, regional planning, transport planning and...
using a eurocentric definition.
Nomenclature
Although the term ‘Regional planning’ is nearly universal in English speaking countries the areas covered and specific administrative set ups vary widely. In North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, regional planning may encompass more than one state (such as the RPA) or a larger conurbation or network of settlements. North American regional planning is likely to cover a much larger area than the Regional Assemblies of England, but both are equally ‘regional’ in nature.
Overview
Regions require various land useLand use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
s; protection of farmland
Farmland preservation
Farmland preservation is a joint effort by non-governmental organizations and local governments to set aside and protect examples of a region's farmland for the use, education, and enjoyment of future generations...
, cities, industrial space, transportation hubs and infrastructure, military bases, and wilderness. Regional planning is the science of efficient placement of infrastructure and zoning for the sustainable growth of a region. Advocates for regional planning such as new urbanist Peter Calthorpe
Peter Calthorpe
Peter Calthorpe is a San Francisco-based architect, urban designer and urban planner. He is a founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism, a Chicago-based advocacy group formed in 1992 that promotes sustainable building practices.-Biography:...
, promote the approach because it can address region-wide environmental, social, and economic issues which may necessarily require a regional focus.
A ‘region’ in planning terms can be administrative or at least partially functional, and is likely to include a network of settlements and character areas. In most European countries, regional and national plans are ‘spatial’ directing certain levels of development to specific cities and towns in order to support and manage the region depending on specific needs, for example supporting or resisting, polycentrism
Polycentrism
Polycentrism is the principle of organization of a region around several political, social or financial centres. Examples of polycentric cities include the Ruhr area in Germany, and Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. Today, the former is a large city that grew from a dozen smaller cities, the latter a...
.
Principles
Specific interventions and solutions will depend entirely on the needs of each region in each country, but generally speaking, regional planning at the macro level will seek to:- Resist development in flood plains or along earthquake faults. These areas may be utilised as parks, or unimproved farmland.
- Designate transportation corridors using hubs and spokesSpoke-hub distribution paradigmThe hub-and-spoke distribution paradigm is a system of connections arranged like a chariot wheel, in which all traffic moves along spokes connected to the hub at the center...
and considering major new infrastructure - Some thought into the various ‘role’s settlements in the region may play, for example some may be administrative, with others based upon manufacturing or transport.
- Consider designating essential nuisance land uses locations, including waste disposal.
- Designate Green beltGreen beltA green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
land or similar to resist settlement amalgamation and protect the environment. - Set regional level ‘policy’ and zoning which encourages a mix of housing values and communities.
- Consider building codes, zoningZoningZoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
laws and policies that encourage the best use of the land.
See also
- Growth managementGrowth managementGrowth management is a set of techniques used by government to ensure that as the population grows that there are services available to meet their demands. These are not necessarily only government services...
- Land use planningLand use planningLand-use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy encompassing various disciplines which seek to order and regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing land-use conflicts. Governments use land-use planning to manage the development of land within their...
- Inter-municipal land use planning
- Metropolitan planning organizationMetropolitan planning organizationA metropolitan planning organization is a federally-mandated and federally-funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities...
- Principles of Intelligent UrbanismPrinciples of Intelligent UrbanismPrinciples of Intelligent Urbanism is a theory of urban planning composed of a set of ten axioms intended to guide the formulation of city plans and urban designs. They are intended to reconcile and integrate diverse urban planning and management concerns...
- Regional AssembliesRegional assembliesRegional assembly can refer to:*ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines, see Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao#Politics...
- Regional Planning CouncilsRegional Planning CouncilsRegional Planning Councils are quasi-governmental organizations that are designated by Florida law to address problems and plansolutions that are of greater-than-local concern or scope, and are to be recognized by local...
- Spatial planningSpatial planningSpatial planning refers to the methods used by the public sector to influence the distribution of people and activities in spaces of various scales. Discrete professional disciplines which involve spatial planning include land use planning, urban planning, regional planning, transport planning and...
- Transportation planningTransportation planningTransportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...
- ZoningZoningZoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
Further reading
- Jonathan Barnett, Planning for a New Century: The Regional Agenda, ISBN 1-55963-806-0
- Patricia E. Salkin, Supersizing Small Town America: Using Regionalism to Right-Size Big Box Retail, 6 Vermont Journal of Environmental Law 9 (2005)
- Peter Calthorpe & William Fulton, The Regional City: Planning for the End of Sprawl, ISBN 1-55963-784-6