When I meet with the town manager, I will emphasize how the project’s interconnectedness and complexity will influence the town’s plan. Interconnectedness will help determine the kind of traffic that the town will generate. Interconnectedness implies the kind of development that the town will have (Levy, 2017). Here, the issues to consider are whether the residential dwellings will comprise single-house units, apartment blocks, or a neighborhood shopping center. For a properly interconnected town, I will recommend that she provide the latest demographic data to determine the most appropriate housing units since different age groups prefer different types of housing structures (Levy, 2017). For instance, elderly people require smaller houses with easy mobility and support services (Schindler, 2014). Complexity involves briefing the town manager on the importance of an urban planner in infrastructural development. This brief will help to determine the most appropriate infrastructure to be developed in the town. For example, if the town has a sparse population, the residents can privately handle matters like water and waste disposal (Levy, 2017). However, matters the provision of internet services, telecommunication, and traffic management should be centralized. The methodology that I will use is a comprehensive plan. This plan entails a research phase, clarification of the community’s goals and objectives, formulation of the plan, implementing the plan, and reviewing and revising the plan (Levy, 2017). The comprehensive cover a period of up to 20 years, and it will detail how the town will maintain good hygiene conditions, including the provision of drinking water and sewer lines. The roads should be wide enough to enhance public safety in crisis, such as a fire outbreak requiring ambulance services (Levy, 2017). It should also specify the location of key facilities such as hospitals, schools, parks, among other amenities. Land-use planning is the first current concept in planning that I will suggest. In this case, the town should have designated areas for residential homes, commercial buildings, industrial areas, and municipal houses (Smith, 2020). The planners will then work with stakeholders to determine the location of each zone. The other concept that I will suggest involves conservation and going green. This concept involves restoring rivers, planting trees, and so on. Neo-traditional town plans have several merits. First, they enhance walkability since residential dwellings, commercial areas, and workplaces are within walking distance (Orman, n.d.). Secondly, the streets are more interconnected, reducing traffic and enhancing walkability. Neo-traditional plans also encourage diversity of people and mixed-use of property (Orman, n.d.). For instance, one building can host residential spaces, offices, and shops, allowing people of diverse ages, ethnicities, and income levels to coexist. Furthermore, the high density of property in one locality offers convenience and improves resources’ sustainable use (Orman, n.d.). This planning design also encourages pedestrian-oriented transport modes such as walking and cycling (Orman, n.d.), thus reducing traffic congestion. Moreover, it enhances people’s quality of life in that people can easily access playgrounds, green spaces, nature trails, and so on (Orman, n.d.). Another advantage of a neo-traditional town plan is that it has a discernible center (Duany & Plater-Zyberk, n.d.), making it easy for newcomers to settle in. The presence of shops and offices within the edge of the neighborhood makes it convenient for people to acquire goods and services without traveling to great lengths (Duany & Plater-Zyberk, n.d.). A nearby school in this plan gives room for children to walk to school (Duany & Plater-Zyberk, n.d.). The presence of sidewalks promotes safety for pedestrians. In neo-traditional planning, the neighborhood is organized to the extent that it self-governs itself (Duany & Plater-Zyberk, n.d.). The primary difference between neo-traditional planning and the suburban model is that residential and commercial areas are within the same area in the former. In contrast, in the latter, residential and commercial areas are separated from each other. Secondly, neo-traditional residents can either walk or use a bicycle when going to work, shop, or school, but suburban residents must use cars or motorcycles. Unlike neo-traditional planning, the suburban model does not encourage diversity, given that each suburb hosts people of the same ethnicity, socioeconomic status, affiliations, and so on. It is difficult to convert modern suburbs into traditional set-ups because most suburbs are characterized by the sprawling phenomenon brought about by capitalism and the free-market economy (Łucka, 2018). Prosperous people require more space, which, in turn, leads to a decline in population density, as witnessed in modern suburbs. Secondly, legal requirements on land use inhibit the creation of neo-traditional dwellings (Łucka, 2018). The increasing need for environmental conversation suggests that a less-dense dwelling like in modern suburbs is crucial for proper resource management and prevention of pollution (Łucka, 2018). The first step of the strategic planning process is clarifying the vision of the project. Here, the planners must set long-term and short-term goals and objectives (Deeb, 2018). Secondly, a plan to achieve goals and objectives should be formulated (Deeb, 2018). Here, the process should be customized to define the people who can undertake specific tasks. Next, research must be conducted to gather and analyze data pertinent to the completion of the project and the accomplishment of the set goals and objectives (Deeb, 2018). This step can be accomplished by conducting a SWOT to identify the project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Afterward, a strategy for accomplishing the goals is formulated. Here, the available resources are analyzed to determine the feasibility of the project. The next step involves implementing the strategy by assigning duties and roles to the most appropriate personnel (Deeb, 2018). The last step involves monitoring, evaluation, and revision of the plan. This step is achieved through the measurement of performance and reviewing internal and external issues. If the actual results surpass or tally with the expected results, the plan is maintained. If it does not match the expectations, it is revised or discarded. An environmental scan helps the planner survey and interprets relevant data to identify the opportunities and threats present in the external environment of a proposed project. On the contrary, a SWOT analysis analyses both the internal environment (strengths and weaknesses) and the proposed project’s external environment (opportunities and threats).
A vision is a goal that defines the direction of a project while a strategic plan defines how to achieve and maintain the vision. The strategic plan is a summary of tactics for achieving the vision.
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References
Deeb, G. (2018, December 4). The top 6 steps of strategic planning. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgedeeb/2018/12/04/the-top-6-steps-of-strategic-planning/#4e8353635b25
Duany, A., & Plater-Zyberk, E. (n.d.). The fourteen points of traditional neighborhood development.
Levy, J. M. (2017). Contemporary urban planning (11th edition). Routledge.
Łucka, D. (2018). How to build a community. New Urbanism and its critics. Urban Development Issues, 59 (1), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.2478/udi-2018-0025
Orman. (n.d.). New urbanism: A reaction to suburban sprawl.
Schindler, K. H. (2014, October 27). Top 10 planning practices for making things happen in rural and small towns. MSU Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/top_10_planning_practices_for_making_things_happen_in_rural_and_small_towns
Smith, R. (2020). 7 types of urban planning concepts explained. Clear Point Strategy. https://www.clearpointstrategy.com/types-of-urban-planning/
