OVERVIEW OF URBAN AND REGIONAL
PLANNING THEORIES AND ISSUES
IMPLICATION TO ARCHITECTURAL
PRACTICES
Petric Geddes – The founder of modern
town and regional planning. The theoretical
ideas of Petric Geddes have influenced much
subsequent planning practice, regional
economic development and environmental
management . In particular his focus on the
triad ‘Place-Work-Folk’ is fundamental to land
use planning.
Urban Planning – is a technique and method
of development that contributes to the
organization, development and evolution of
urban areas and their urbanising environs,
based on economic, social, legal and aesthetic
concepts and conditions in order to promote the
welfare of public and quality of environment.
Urban Planning Basics
Goal of Planning - to guide the development of
a city or town so that it furthers the welfare of
its current and future residents by creating
convenient, equitable, healthful, efficient and
attractive environments.
Three key aspects of Urban/City Planning:
 Physical environment - A city's
physical environment includes its
location, its climate and its proximity to
sources of food and water.
 Social environment - The social
environment includes the groups to
which a city's residents belong, the
neighborhoods in which they live, the
organization of its workplaces. One of
the biggest issues in most cities is the
inequitable distribution of resources.
 Economic environment - Primary
employers, such as manufacturing as
well as research and development
companies, retail businesses,
universities, federal labs, local
government, cultural institutions, and
departments of tourism all play strong
roles in a city's economy.
Regional Planning - It is a specific type of
planning, based on a specific planning structure
(regional system), for inducing public action
aimed at societal well-being. It implies that
regional planning is concerned fundamentally
with the society in the context of space.
THEORIES OF EXPLAINING THE
EMERGENCE OF TOWNS:
1. Central Place Theory
Developed by the German geographer
Walter Christaller in 1933 .It explains
the reasons behind the distribution
patterns, size, and number of cities and
towns. Examples. Polders of the
Netherlands, the Fens of East Anglia in
the UK
Basic elements of Central Place Theory
are:
 A central good
 A central place
 A complimentary region
Assumptions
 humans will always purchase goods
from the closest place
 unbounded isotropic (all flat),
homogeneous, limitless surface
 evenly distributed population
 all settlements are equidistant and exist
in a triangular lattice pattern
 evenly distributed resources
2. Public Choice Theory

Advanced by Paul Peterson in his 1981
book, City Limits .States that urban
politicians and governing regimes are
subordinate to the overall economic
principles that force cities to compete to
capture new investment and capital.
The competitive nature of cities
encourages the business elite and
politicians to favour new development.
3. Bid Rent Theory
Geographical economic theory that
refers to how the price and demand for
real estate change as the distance from
the central business district (CBD) .This
is based upon the idea that retail
establishments wish to maximize their
profitability, so they are much more
willing to pay more for land close to the
CBD and less for land further away from
this area. The amount they are willing to
pay is called "bid rent".
THEORIES OF EXPLAINING HOW TOWNS
ARE ARRANGED:
1. Grid model/Hippodamian plan
Proposed by Hippodamus of Miletus who
is considered the father of rational city
planning. The center of the city contains
the agora (Market place), theaters, and
temples. Private rooms surround the
city’s public arenas. The plan can be laid
out uniformly over any kind of terrain
since it’s based on angles and
measurements. Examples; The city of
Priene .
2. Concentric Zone model
Also known as The Burgess Model, The
Bull's Eye Model.Developed in the 1920's
by the urban sociologist Ernest Burgess.
The model portrays how cities social
groups are spatially arranged in a series
of rings. The size of the rings may vary,
but the order always remains the same.
3. Multiple Nuclei method
The Multiple Nuclei Model is an
ecological model created by Chauncy
Harris and Edward Ullman in the 1945.
City grows from several independent
points rather than from one central
business district. As these expand, they
merge to form a single urban area.
Ports, universities, airports and parks
also act as nodes. Based on the idea
that people have greater movement due
to increased car ownership.
4. Urban Realms Model
Developed by James E. Vance Jr. in the
1960’s. Each realm is a separate
economic, social and political entity that
is linked together to form a larger metro
framework.suburbs are within the
sphere of influence of the central city
and its metropolitan CBD. Now urban
realms have become, so large they even
have exurbs, not just suburbs.
5. Core frame model
The Core frame model is a model
showing the urban structure of the
Central Business District of a town or
city. The model includes an inner core
where land is expensive and used
intensively. The outer core and frame
have lower land values and are less
intensively developed. The various land
uses are linked to the bid rent theory.
6. Irregular pattern model
Arrangement of Public space that
characterizes the stage of "Transition
from village to city" especially in Third
World. This urban model is due to lack
of planning or construction and illegal
without a specific order. Includes blocks
with no fixed order, or permanent and
 temporary structures. Structures are not
related to an urban centres near the
place.

Issues of Urban Planning

1. Individual Control or Small Parcels of Land

2. Arbitrary Political Boundaries
3. Irregularity of Environmental Site
4. Heritage of Past Construction
5. Anticipation of Future Change