Urban planning paves the way for a better quality of living. Our cities need buildings whose designs and attributes would fit in the environment that we belong to. They require public spaces and amenities that would meet the needs of each resident living in or visiting the city. Transport systems must be strongly built and successfully operating. These concerns and a lot more are addressed and given resolution to through urban planning.
But there is a great challenge for architects, engineers, and environmental planners today. The world’s resources are getting more scarce than years before; the non-renewable supply is getting all exhausted every single day. The main cities are getting much more populated. Global warming is threatening the place we live in, and catastrophes can possibly destroy the planet if we won’t take the right measures. Fortunately, we’ve got a solution.
Why is urban planning important?
- Improving the quality of life
When we talk about the quality of life, we pertain to ‘having it all’, living a life in the city where your needs are met and provided. What do humans need? People need a place to stay at, food to eat, clothes to wear, friends to keep. Apart from these basic needs, citizens need to be employed and go to work. They would need good traffic flow and regulations. Or maybe, a functional transportation system.
Infrastructures, commercial and public buildings also demand careful planning so they could properly give service to their consumers and to the city residents, in general. Urban planning is the key to better living. Green spaces are created and improved as well through this discipline which will satisfy people’s innate desire for nature.
- Promoting safety and security
Safety and security also make living better. If threats and danger are nowhere around us, we will be able to embrace the life we have in the city. This concern is very crucial. If the city is not safe, people will live in fear and tremble.
Urban planning helps immensely in promoting safety and security. How? For example, lighting systems provided by a solar street light manufacturer can be used to enhance the lighting technology used for parks and public gardens. Also, the unsafe portions of the city land, especially with contours can be worked on by architects and engineers and turn them into buildable and usable areas. The incorporation of topography into landscape continuity can be achieved through the practice of urban planning.
- Raising economic growth
One of the many important things that urban planning does is the development and utilization of rural places. This brings and raises the economic growth of any city, which contributes to the overall economic growth of a country. By 2025, researchers say that 600 cities will be regarded for 60 percent of the global gross domestic product or market value. China is considered as one of these new hubs.
Urban economic growth makes cities well-connected; it makes them have diverse types of industries, which is essential to country and global economic growth.
- Allowing preparation for disasters
City management involves having the ability to predict the weather and natural calamities that will hit the city beforehand. Long-term strategies are made upon prediction, and short-term actions are taken to attain them. Urban planning has allowed minimization of risks all throughout the years. It enables the city government and the people to prepare for upcoming adversity and disasters that might come and put residents in great danger.
- Developing cities
Urban planning results in better educational facilities and structures, improved commercial buildings, public spaces, and establishments. Work opportunities will increase in number and the city population will surely grow bigger.
As proper planning continually gets implemented, the cities will relentlessly develop. Residential areas and infrastructures will expand, good transportation will be provided, health care institutions will be more accessible, and the judicial system will progress.
- Leading to a successful nation
Overall, urban planning leads to a successful nation; thus, it leads to a successful world. UN reports stated that 3 billion population will likely move into cities by 2050. The increasing number of people in urban areas can also probably cause harm to biodiversity. Hence, the planning, measures, and ordinances proposed and implemented by the administration. Planting of trees, raising awareness, etc. The impact of urbanization is being managed very well.
Conclusion
Six reasons were given to state the importance of urban planning, and yet, there are still plenty of more reasons why we should support and participate in the activities that are being executed by the city council with regards to the environment and its planning. Consistent progress can be seen via consistent urban planning. Making cities livable will definitely raise the economic growth of the city, country and the world, and most importantly, improve people’s way of living.
