Foundations of Urban and Regional Environments - Term Paper Example

Foundations of Urban and Regional Environments Introduction Urban and regional environments are faced with a number of dynamics in the modern dispensation. The environment stands in the face of urban and regional developments. There are a number of factors that affect the environment today. The urban set ups together with regions continue to grow at unprecedented rates. Population increase and buildings continue to characterize life in the urban dwellings. All over the world, governments and different organizations are in constant dwell to find an amicable solution in curbing the rise of populations and buildings in the cities and towns and cities. It is also critical to note that urban and regional set ups are the hub of industries. As a matter of fact, environmental degradation start from the urban set ups. Climate change is at the center of the environmental discussions in the modern dispensation. Urban and regional developments contribute immensely to the crisis of climate change. As such, the focus has since shifted to the urban and regional set-ups to the extent to which they affect the environment (Bhatta, 2010). Congestions and mismanagement are a major problem in the urban and regional dwellings to the extent that the environment is constantly at risk. It is, therefore, informative for stakeholders to come up with the means and ways of correcting the manner in which urban and regional hubs are set up (Herrmann-Pillath, 2013). A number of policies are necessary to drive the agenda of the environment in so far as urban and regional establishments are concerned. This is not a problem that can be wished away as it is key to determining the state of the environment not just for the present but the future also. Even though even though urban and regional environments continue to gain prominence, planning is key to their foundations. Planning in the urban and regional environments has all to do with the manner in which the physical set up is established. One of the single most challenges that urban and regional environments continue to face is poor planning. Congestions in towns and cities are a common phenomenon in most of the establishments. While a number of people continue to be less oblivious about the physical environment of their surroundings, a steady rise in anarchy continues to be experienced. Even though the foundations of urban and regional environments may be up and running, planning is key to sustainable growth and development. The arrangement of the dwellings is the main focus of planning. A number of places in the world today have places that face the challenge of poor planning. There are a number of issues that go handy, so far as planning are concerned. The urban and regional environments are part of the larger environment. When there is poor planning within the cities and towns, the environment is worst affected. The environment consists of land, air and the water bodies found in the vicinity. A number of things come into effect when planning is not taken into consideration (Sandler, 2002). The physical environment is more critical when it comes to planning. By carefully putting everything in order within the cities and towns, there is established the mode of operation with which people subscribe to. When there is proper planning, there are elaborate plans for which issues such as pollution and waste management are dealt with. The foundations of urban and regional environments cannot be sensible in terms of habitation when there is no clear guideline for which the cities are to be arranged. It is imperative to note that planning ensures that everything is put in the correct place. Putting things in order means that the general population finds their rightful place together with the animals and other entities such as industries. Planning is of critical value to the extent to which ensuring the environmental wellbeing is concerned. In the urban and regional environments, there are people, industries and the larger environmental components. For instance, when industries are established where peoples activities are dominant, there is bound to be some ripple effects. Industries come with a number of challenges (OECD, 2010). One of such challenges has all to do with pollution. The pollution comes from the wastes such as the industry, noise and fumes. All these are critical substances that have potential harm not just to the people but the environment. When the wastes are released into the environment in an environment where people are populous, the challenge comes as a result of the effect the wastes have on the people. When the wastes such as chemicals are released into the water bodies and fumes to the environment, health complications become a major course of concern people develop complications as a result of the wastes. The solution can only be found in planning. The foundations of urban and regional environments become well established when things are put in their proper places. When planning is ensured, the population does not get to suffer from the effects of pollution from the industries. This then means that industries should have a designated place and the people the same. Through this, less contact is established between the hazardous environment and the people (Montgomery, 2011). Planning has all to do with setting standards based on what people are expected. The environment is a critical entity that requires the input of the society as a whole to ensure that there environmental maintenance is achieved. In every environment, there are norms and values that guide the relationship between the people and the natural environment. When there is poor planning, the natural environment gets to bare the brand of poor environmental sanitation. This in essence means that societies should maintain environmental wellbeing based on the set standards. These may include setting up of structures within the community that are less dangerous to the environment. This ensures that the environment is not subjected to unnecessary pressure. Planning is critical because it helps inform the basis for which future operations are to take place. For societies that are environmentally oriented, it is helpful to outline the basis over which a component is to be established within the environment. In some instances, foundations of regional and urban environments do not take planning seriously in so far as environmental wellbeing is concerned (Montgomery, 2011). Congestion and traffic is a challenge to urban and regional environments. All these can be blamed on poor planning. Congestion can be from two different fronts. Population surge is one of such areas where the effect of congestion is felt. Secondly, is the building criterion. The urban and regional establishments suffer pressure from the problems of migration. While people cannot be condemned for searching for better opportunities in the urban and regional set ups, they are never oblivious of the problem they come with. When there is a problem with population surge, the environment becomes the most affected. Case in point is that the greater population consumes the facilities previously meant for a smaller population. This is a serious implication in the sense that facilities such as water reservoirs, health facilities and the roads not to mention housing facilities get to be drained. The resultant factor is that in a bid to expand, the environment becomes the center of degradation (Friedland et el, 2012). Planning is critical in the sense that when proper planning is done, there is a room where by expansion is made possible to accommodate the growing population. The physical environment should not be wished away when doing planning. The foundation of urban and regional environment establishes levels of success when issues such as population density are dealt with. Another area where congestion is experienced in building construction and transport areas. When planning is done as appropriate in so far as building construction is concerned, congestion is experienced (Westeren, 2012). When buildings are all centered at one place, at makes it difficult to bring up another development structure. In the world today, especially in major urban sets such as cities and towns, what happens is that poor development has stopped development to the extent that it has become an epidemic. This problem also stretches of the roads that in turn bring about traffic problems. A foundation that does not get it right with building construction and the infrastructural development brings a problem that can otherwise be fended off if proper planning is ensured. While these are critical areas of concern, a number of people do not think this is a problem. Environmental protection is at the center of panning. Without proper planning, the environments suffer the most. The natural environment is of critical essence. The foundations of urban and regional planning have the basis of the fact that the correct establishment ensures success. In the wake of climate change, the focus is quickly shifting to the urban and regional setups and their contribution to the environmental well-being. Some nations have established within their policies that determine the manner in which the environment should taken care of. To some extent, there are rules and regulations that guide the relations in the regional and regional set ups to the extent that people and organizations get to know what is required of them with respect to taking care of the environment (Westeren, 2012). Planning in all these ventures becomes the focal point in ensuring that there are proper guidelines over which foundations of urban and regional environments are established. The fact that other entities do not take seriously planning has brought immense pressure on the environment. In the event that stakeholders do not take into consideration the essence of planning, the resultant factor becomes a degraded environment. The physical space should be managed well to ensure that unnecessary challenges are waded off. The root course of the problems has all to do with the manner in which planning is done. It should be noted that how best the spaces are managed directly translate to the wellbeing of the environment. The urban and regional environments have become the major points of focus today. The only things that make people go for better opportunities in the urban and regional set ups are based on opportunities. In essence, it means that when opportunities are created across the board, there would be no unnecessary movements in such for new opportunities. However, the problem may not be easy to deal with. Planning therefore becomes the only practical solution to ensuring that the foundations of urban and regional development succeed as appropriate (Yang, 2011). A critical aspect of planning is design. Ideally, the two elements go together in the sense that without proper planning, a good design cannot be established. There are a number of developers who do not take into consideration the need to ensure proper planning and design. In essence, they end up messing up the physical environment. A number of people have always noted that poor designs are also a major point of recourse in so far as foundations of urban and regional developments is concerned (Unep, 2002). It is necessary for the stakeholders to take into consideration the fact that proper planning and design are beneficial not just to the people and the wellbeing of the cities and towns but also to the environment also. In the vent that the planning is not established as appropriate, the resultant factor becomes poor environmental sanitation. It should be noted that the environment is a vital component that requires as much attention as possible. When the physical environment is depleted, what remains is that the different establishments in the cities and towns become obsolete. This should not be the case as proper planning methods can potentially eradicate the issues of environmental degradation. Design is a critical component for planning and more often than not, the two elements are not isolated. Foundations of urban and regional environment are established upon proper design and planning (Westeren, 2012). Foundations of urban and regional environment are dependent on the input of every individual. Environmental wellbeing cannot be a preserve of a few people; neither can the same be made obvious. The fact that planning is necessary should give other people a reason as to why they should contribute to the planning exercise. When people sit down to brainstorm and come up with solutions on the best planning methods, the resultant factor is that the best plan is reached. However, when people do not recognize the need to establish proper foundations in the regions and the urban set ups, ignorance become a critical factor. The natural environment should be a concern of everyone of good will (Hodge et el, 2001). This then means that planning should come in handy. The most reasonable thing to consider is that people should be involved in every stage to ensure that people become stakeholders in the management affairs of the environment and the available space. When the challenges of the environment become a problem for everyone, people can ordinarily begin to take charge of their destiny by giving out proposals that are relevant to the wellbeing of foundations of urban and regional environments. Land use has for some time been a problem. The foundations of urban and regional environment have landed as a critical resource. It is critical to note that in some places, the land is a critical issue to the extent that its use is more controversial. Land in some establishments is portrayed as a critical resource for economic development. Land, as economists would put is one of the single most valuable assets a society can have. With land, a number of activities can be established. One of such activities can be plantation farming or just farming in general. Therefore, land in this aspect becomes a critical asset to communities and other entities (National Acad, 2011). The proper use of land can only mean proper environmental conservation. However, it is critical to note that planning is key in ensuring that the set objective is met. When there are not proper procedures as to how land should be utilized, a problem ensues. The land economists contend that when there are no proper establishments with respect to how land should be used, land being an important resource looses meaning. Land has got a number of uses. From land, buildings are developed, farming takes place and settlement is ensured. For all these to take place, there should be a well-established plan to ensure that every single space of land is utilized up to the standards that is required. Land in some societies is an emotive issue and the manner in which it is utilized matters. The foundations of urban and regional environment can be of much success when there is proper planning in so far as land use is concerned. When the opposite ensues, the dream of having a properly utilized space becomes elusive. In this regard, land should be well planned for to ensure that every space on land that is utilized brings about proper value (Herrmann-Pillath, 2013). This should not mean that pressure should be mounted on land as a factor of production. Other sources of production should be established to ensure that there is no over emphasis on the use of land. Planning is of the essence when it comes to land utilization. This helps in ensuring that foundations of urban and regional environment are well established. Planning requires that there is proper sensitization of how best utilization can be made effective. There are a number of groups or individuals who are not alive to the planning phenomenon. The foundations of urban and regional environments become more meaningful if there is a level of awareness among the population of the essence of proper planning. When the people are educated to the extent where they are able to discern correctly the process of planning, success becomes an every day agenda. It is, therefore, critical to note that planning is of the essence, but an educated population is better off because a level of understanding and awareness is raised to some significant levels. Conclusion Planning is a critical factor in ensuring that the foundations of urban and regional environment become meaningful. The manner in which planning takes place in regions and urban set ups is indicative of the emphasis put on the environment. While planning is a major focus on urban and regional establishments, the environment is at the center of all. When there is proper planning in the manner in which space is utilized, the environment is saved to a larger extent. In urban set ups today, there is population surge not to mention the number of buildings that come up. Due to poor planning, a number of challenges are experienced to the extent that environments have become the most affected (Montgomery, 2011). Land use cannot be effective id there is no proper planning. It is against this background that it should be noted that even though urban and regional environments continue to gain prominence, planning is key to success. References: Bhatta, B. (2010). Analysis of urban growth and sprawl from remote sensing data. Heidelberg: Springer. China Development Research Foundation., & Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2010). Trends in urbanization and urban policies in OECD countries: What lessons for China?. Paris: OECD. Hodge, G., & Robinson, I. M. (2001). Planning Canadian regions. Vancouver: UBC Press. Top of Form Friedland, A. J., Relyea, R., & Courard-Hauri, D. (2012). Environmental science: Foundations and applications. Herrmann-Pillath, C. (2013). Foundations of economic evolution: A treatise on the natural philosophy of economics. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Pub. Bottom of Form Henderson, J. V., & Thisse, J.-F. (2004). Handbook of regional and urban economics: Volume 4. Amsterdam: Elsevier North Holland. Rethinking the ozone problem in urban and regional air pollution. (2000). Washington, DC: National Acad. Press. Montgomery, C. (2011). Regional planning for a sustainable America: How creative programs are promoting prosperity and saving the environment. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press. Sandler, D. (2002). Protecting the Gulf of Aqaba: A regional environmental challenge. Washington, D.C. United Nations Environment Programme. (2002). Global environment outlook. London: Earthscan. Westeren, K. I. (2012). Foundations of the knowledge economy: Innovation, learning, and clusters. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Yang, X. (2011). Urban remote sensing: Monitoring, synthesis and modeling in the urban environment. (Urban remote sensing.) Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Read More