Land Use Planning and Township Design: Human Settlement in 2040 Modern urban planning is based around sustainability and sustainable development.
Predicting what the earth will be like in 27 years is difficult but town planners must plan for certain things so a city can function efficiently for many years. Natural disasters, gradual climate change and rapid arbitration are some of the things that should weigh on a town planner's mind when he or she is designing a city.Cape Town is a very unique city in the world, it has mountains and Saracens in the vicinity with low flat and in between. The residential disparity in the city is very evident as one will find the wealthier close to the city centre and the mountain while the poorer people and the informal settlements are located more inland and further away from the CAB.
This is the legacy of Apartheid and was planned for and enacted by the administration of the day. The amount of slums in the region is also a result of illegal squatters caused by the rapid influx of people into the city.The municipality battled to plan and deal with the huge increase of people and so the new comers who couldn't acquire any shelter were left without basic services such as housing, water, electricity and transport. One can expect the current rate of migration to the city to not slow down as more and more people search for work in the urban environment.
One of the problems in Cape Town is that early town planners failed to identify the need for high rise or vertical structures, and this has created urban sprawl.At the benefit of aesthetic appeal or a magnificent view the city is left with large tracts of sub-urban land containing single and double story housing. This takes up a lot of pace and is not utilized as much as having blocks of flats where more people can live on the same piece of land. People are spread further out from the CAB and this puts pressure on the transport network. Things are changing slowly as more people are investing in sectional title plans as opposed to owning their own piece of land because of the demand and price increase.Brownfield need to be redeveloped and utilized because in the future land will become more expensive and difficult to acquire.
Greenfield around the city should also be developed as more people will be deeding land to either live or start-up businesses. Especially around the outskirts of the city it is in the process of decentralization as this is a major problem in Cape Town. There is also a plan known as gap housing that is currently being talked over where lower-middle class housing is to be built in between upper class housing to create a better amalgamation of classes in the city.Transport is being relocked at at the moment with initiatives like the Mystic bus program. Rail is still viewed as a lower class method of transportation even though it is one of the most frequently used.
It is also quite restricted as the line only reaches certain parts of the city and is unreliable. So the road transport network is used the most in the city but continues to have problems of congestion unless more adequate methods of public transport are to be found. This may also be because most residents work in and nearby the city centre because there is not much work to be found elsewhere.These are some of the problems faced by current town planners as they sought to remedy certain situations and layout a sustainable and efficient city. The problems mentioned above may leaner still plays an essential role in assuring everything runs smoothly.
Various things may change and a town planner needs to cater and think of new ways to create a functional city. In the near future the use of fossil fuels will be slowing down as the resource dwindles and the price becomes too expensive.New electrical vehicles which rely on hydrogen and other reusable energy will be very good for a city. Less noise and air pollution will create a better environment for a city's citizens as cars are the main mode of transport so this will have a large effect.
Larger freeways to accommodate more people and better cars may also lessen congestion and make the road network run a lot smoother. The image of public transport would change as well so it becomes as efficient and better utilized as in first world countries.A great working public transport system that can satisfy citizens living all over the city will help speed up productivity. More advanced technology and good planning will help public transport reach people who were inaccessible because of the mountain or distance.
How goods and services are delivered to people would deed to be evaluated in the light of the large population and the technological advances. Food demand would be high and there have to be enough ways for the city to receive enough food and be able to distribute it efficiently to everyone.Communication lines, other electrical lines and water and sewage/garbage disposal need to service all residential houses in the city and areas have to be identified where appropriate services buildings and sites can be located. A big factor which will have an impact on the planning of the city would be climate change.
Although radial, the effects are already being felt and they will probably only get worse in the future. The Cape Flats and other low lying areas near the coast are under threat from rising sea levels.Barriers would need to erected or a good drainage system would have to be implemented or something similar to dyke's in the Netherlands may have to be used too to combat flooding. Terrain analysis would have been done in the areas predicted to be the most affected and natural disaster relief teams would also need to apply certain plans. Because of a more environmentally friendly attitude alarm energy and recycling would be more prevalent in houses around the city and a service for recycling may have to be implemented.Greenbelts and more public open spaces may be created to give the city a more healthier and vibrant feel.
This will go towards the city being more sustainable and CEO-friendly. One problem which may not have been rectified is that of the informal settlements. Given the current rate of the population growth and the rate the economy is increasing, it is difficult to see how enough housing can be developed for all of the citizens. 3RD housing is still eying built but in 2040 this would not have gotten rid of the urban sprawl problem.If not enough work is to be found and the transport network not well developed enough to cater for the large population, the city may have a lot more informal settlers with no place to go. Urban planners need to identify the areas of future concern and must plan accordingly but it is also their responsibility to make sure their plans come to bear fruit.
If the correct channels are followed and the right protocol done then the future looks very good, not Just for the city but all of its citizens. Words: 1233
