History of planning and urban design in 20th century - Essay Example

?Why I chose architecture and planning?  I cannot give a simple answer for that. Maybe it was because since childhood I have liked painting and construction and have yearned to create things on my own. It seems that architecture and planning can satisfy my imagination in terms of space, creativity, and colour. After my five years of study in the Department of Architecture and Planning and three years’ work experience, I asked myself this same question. The result is that Part of the above factors as well I realized that architecture and planning have an intrinsic appeal for me and that they are not only an art, but also more importantly a kind of technology. I studied architecture and town planning together as I have never thought of them as separate jobs. They are merely two sides of a same coin, the difference being mostly in the scale of the work. As part of my university degree I completed courses in different aspects of architecture and planning such as history of architecture and urban development, urban transportation planning, urban and landscape infrastructure and services, city planning process. I found these subjects very interesting.  After my graduation I worked as a planning engineer with the Ministry of Transport. The work experience I gained during that period helped to strength my specialization, improve my research skills, integrate my knowledge, and build my leadership skills. As part of my professional development I took additional training courses in various areas such as transportation planning, traffic engineering and scientific research. The areas in which I still need further development include current developments and techniques in planning. A Master's Degree in planning will be ideal in providing me with not only the theoretical knowledge, but also the tools of business decision making p and research skills to enable me to develop in the core areas of the planning industry.  History of Planning and Urban Design in 20th century:  Around 1900, a movement began to provide citizens, especially factory workers, with healthier environments (2). In addition to the interest component of environmental health, which was absent in the nineteenth century. In 1902 the concept of the garden city was originated by Ebenezer Howard. The garden city concept combined the town and the country in order to provide the working class an alternative to working on farms or 'crowded, unhealthy cities'. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained, communities surrounded by "greenbelts" (parks), containing proportionate areas of residences, industry, and agriculture (2). Letchworth was the first garden city, in the UK in 1903, followed by Welwyn in 1919. These were small in size, providing for a few thousand residents. In Australia, the suburb of Colonel Light Gardens in Adelaide, South Australia, was designed according to garden city principles. So too was the town of Sunshine, which is now a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria. New towns throughout the world were modeled after these garden cities. This theory was an attempt to improve the appearance of cities and streets by means of architectural and spatial effects. (3)  In 1920 the ideas of modernity began to appear by designer Le Corbusier brought more modern ideas and new methods of building and introduced the skyscraper. The main idea was to combine residential home designs with the feel of the city. This was also a way to use modern technologies to eliminate congestion and chaos that was experienced by small cities. This was achieved by and changing the streets to highways and constructing towers set within the gardens. Theories suggest that the center of a great city should consist mainly of skyscrapers – exclusively for commercial use – and these groups of skyscrapers should be set within large, rectangular park-like green spaces. A huge transportation hub sits in the center and includes depots for buses and trains, as well as the highway intersections. This plan segregated pedestrian circulation paths from the roadways and glorified the use of the automobile as a means of transportation. In keeping with these changes cities and towns in the United States embarked on major road-building programs. There were plans for large-scale rebuilding of cities in this era, such as the Plan Voisin, which included clearing and rebuilding most of central Paris but those plans had to be aborted because of the Great Depression of the 1930 and the World War II from 1937 to 1945. (2)  After World War II, housing shortages caused by wartime destruction led many cities to subsidize housing blocks. Planners began the implementation of the modernist urban plan of towers surrounded by gardens. The most prominent example of an entire modernist city is Brasilia in Brazil, constructed between 1956 and 1960 (2). The most significant event in urban areas at that period was the rapid rise of the use of private cars .The increase in the use of private cars coupled with the economic growth, especially in the US, made cities swell dramatically and this influenced the design of many of the cities. (3)  In 1970, the consequences of this urban growth became apparent. Housing became more expensive, roads became more congested and the air and water became more polluted. Moreover, huge public investments in roads, sewers, water lines and power grids were required to support this sprawling pattern of growth. Furthermore, this pattern of low density development made public transportation impractical. More freeways encouraged more development which attracted more cars. Many of the planners felt that modernism was responsible for high rates of crime and social problems as well as the increase in cost of living. They also felt that the lack of human scale sapped vitality from the community. A lack of public transport also increased the financial cost to the population. The need for the creation of infrastructure for public transportation began the organization of the expansion of the city in an orderly fashion and the diversification of economic activities with interest in integration with the regional planning of the area. (3) Moreover, planners have begun to adopt the principle of efficiency which is a balance between the consumption of resources such as energy, time and fiscal resources, with planned achievements in comfort, safety, security, access, tenure, productivity and hygiene. It encourages optimum sharing of public land, roads, facilities, services and infrastructural networks, reducing per household costs, while increasing affordability, productivity, access and civic viability.(1)  Sustainable development began in the late 1980s and early 1990s and this influenced urban planners. Some planners argue that modern lifestyles use too many natural resources, polluting or destroying ecosystems, increasing social inequality, creating urban heat islands, and causing climate change which affects the resources of future generations. They therefore advocate for sustainable cities through- the efficient use of land and resources, reducing the use of cars and pollution, restoring natural systems, the preservation of local culture and the natural environment for the future generations. (1)  The Earth Summit, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is one of the most important events that strengthened the principle of sustainable development in the world. The United Nations convened this conference, which was unprecedented in terms of size and attention, to draw the attention of governments to rethink economic development and find solutions to stop the destruction of natural resources and pollution so as to ensure a healthy planet for future generations. The United Nations considered it an “historic moment for humanity”. The aim of the conference was to develop a broad plan of action for sustainable development in all parts of the world, which considered (5).   Then followed the Earth Summit II or what is called the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 that emphasized the importance of this principle and the development of its own obligations, as well as the development agenda for the 21c and the plan for achieving sustainable development.(5)   Future of Planning and Urban Design for next 100 years:  People are living in such an interesting time and a radical environmental. Social and economic shifts have driven planners to question the way people have organized and planned their urban centers for the past century. Cities are currently developing and changing at a rate exponentially faster than planners’ attempts to shape them. Economic, political and environmental circumstances are changing so quickly that by the time a plan is realized, it is often already obsolete. (4)  The United Nations chose the ‘theme planning our urban future’ to raise awareness of the need to improve urban planning to deal with new major challenges of the 21st century. This is because urban settlements in all parts of the world are being influenced by new and powerful forces. In both developed and developing countries, cities and towns are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, resource depletion, food insecurity, population growth and economic instability. These factors will significantly reshape towns and cities, physically and socially, in the century ahead. Many developing countries will, in addition, continue to experience rapid rates of urbanization, along with its most serious negative consequences - overcrowding, poverty, slums with many poorly equipped to meet the service demands of ever growing urban populations. With over half of the world’s population currently living in urban areas, and this number set to rise to two-thirds in another generation, there is no doubt that the ‘urban agenda’ will increasingly become a priority for governments, local authorities and their non-governmental partners everywhere (5).Therefore, planners must answer this question- how can governments meet the concurrent challenges of urbanization, poverty, development and protection of the environment? This will determine the world’s urban future.  City planners in the future will find it challenging and far from monotonous to follow their plans and theories. The principle of sustainable development will take priority and force planners to focus on reducing the size of the converted large cities and suburbs. (4) Planners will also need to focus on attempting to distribute economic and population development between urban and regional planning. As growth takes place, technology will help planners to reduce the pollution caused by various means of transport and greenhouse gas emissions by designing cities that use green energy friendly to the environment.  My future career path:  Urban planning could give me a chance to develop my life in the future as well as an opportunity to make effective decisions and be useful to people who live in cities. My country is currently in the process of growth and so there is need to plan properly and correctly. My future plans consist of three phases. First, after the completion of a Masters degree I will come back to the United States and t work in a company interested in the field of urban planning for a period of four years in order to gain practical experience. In addition I will continue training in this area to develop my abilities. Secondly, I hope to open n office of urban planning and construction at the level of regions. Finally, I would like to make a name for myself in urban design internationally through participation in international competitions, by designing distinctive building such as the Eiffel Tower and the Opera House. Finally I hope that I can write theory and teach at a university. 1. Baofu, P. 2009. The Future of Post-Human Urban Planning: A Preface to a New Theory of Density, Void, and Sustainability. Newcastle, UK. Cambridge Scholars Pub The author discusses the issue of sustainability. The author wonders why should urban planning in this time be obsessed with sustainability. It is useful in urban planning and other related fields like architecture economics, political science, and environmental studies. 2. Hall, P, Colin, W. 1999. Sociable Cities for the legacy of Ebeneezer Howard. West Sussex, England. John Wiley & Sons Sociable Cities is published to coincide with the centenary of the publication of Ebenezer Howard’s revolutionary Garden Cities of Tomorrow. This book assesses how Howard’s work has faced up to the concerns of the 20th Century. The book provided the template for some thirty towns in the United Kingdom and other countries. In addition the author explained Howard’s theories in planning the park and especially the garden city, which is the first of the theories, which focused on the quality of life in the future. Moreover the author suggests that by analyzing future trends Howard’s ideas on city planning in the 20th Century would prove to be the most influential. This book will be of interest to planners who are concerned for the future of our cities and the future of our countryside. 3. Hall, P. 2002. Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design in the Twentieth Century. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Limited This book discusses an exhaustive history of modern Western urban planning theory and practice. The author describes everything from major figures and events that shaped 20th century urban life to fundamental topics such as the garden city movement, the origins of regional planning, and contemporary urban redevelopment. This book is a great guide for planners and students to comprehend the history of cities and how to solve planning problems. 4. Villagomez, E. 2009. Planning our urban future’ to raise awareness of the need to improve urban planning to deal with new major challenges of the 21st. re: place magazine (online) available at: http://regardingplace.com/?p=3942 (Accessed third of May). This article describes the major issues facing the urban planning management today and in the future. Also shows that there is a need for change in the pattern of the work of planners in the future in order to adapt to the rapid changes occurring in the world. In addition it is trying to answer how to help urban planners to governments in the development process. 5. http://www.un.org/esa/earthsummit/index.html (Accessed May first 2011) This is a website of the Earth Summit associated with website of the UN official. This website explains the objective of convening this summit and lists the date of the session from 1992 to now and the decisions that resulted from them, as well as the programmers for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21. The site is an important source of information for those interested in sustainable development of various specializations. Read More