URBAN PROFILES

The concept of urban profile; The side view of a city.

The urban profile is a cross-section of the city from the central business district (CBD) to the
outskirts. It is a perspective of a city from the side. The tallest buildings are in the city centre,
and the structures get lower towards the edge of the city. The height of the structures is the
most relevant, not the variances in relief.

Urban profiles offer a detailed snapshot of the conditions of an urban area to provide a set of
information and plans that officials as well as NGOs and other stakeholders can use to make
sustainable urban planning decisions. This mapped information can range from demographics
data to mobility and infrastructure to environmental studies. While urban profiling does
extensive context analysis it actually also makes policy recommendations.

The most distinctive characteristic of urban profiles is their propositional quality. Urban
profiles are not only maps and information as they also contain strategic recommendation for
relevant decision makers to efficiently solve problems in the context of crisis. Therefore,
urban profiles serve as the bridge between technical planning solutions and policy decisions.

The following are the contexts in which urban profiles are most needed;

 Where there are little to none existing planning documents.

 Where there is limited or conflicting quantitative data on information such as;
environmental degradation and formal or informal infrastructure and demographics.

It therefore takes resourceful methods to obtain the necessary information to produce a

worthwhile profile. Researchers and planners have to draw on sources ranging from public
records to community knowledge to GIS data.

Urban profiling is based on a multi-sector, multi-stakeholder, and multi-governance approach

that addresses humanitarian and development challenges while also facilitating community
growth. It promotes social cohesiveness by establishing goals for urban upgrading and 
resolving systemic and structural concerns through participatory decision-making. 
Participatory methods can lead to shared decisions on construction, public space, and
infrastructure upgrades, as well as the provision of agreed-upon additional priority services.

In a city in the developed world you might expect the following changes:
  Buildings get older towards the centre
 Buildings are taller towards the centre
 Building density increases towards the centre
 There will be many newer buildings in the Central Business District
 Beyond the edge of the city is the rural-urban fringe, an area being gradually,
urbanized as villages are taken over by new housing for commuters
 Roads and pavements are busier towards the centre
 There is less open space towards the centre
 Some towns have protected these areas with “green belts” where development is
restricted.

Factors influencing morphology structure of a city

Physical factors

1. Micro-climate – For example Johannesburg extended north and is still extending

because of the warmer slopes of the Witwatersrand
2. Relief – For example Cape Town developed between Table Mountain and the
harbour
3. Soil conditions – Good soil conditions attract settlements while poor soils are
neglected.

Planning

1. Planned cities- Cities planned and built as one unit have an ordered structure and
modern street plan for example Sasolburg
2. No planning- Urban areas that developed quickly have no specific city centre or
street pattern
3. Piecemeal planning – Settlements in which each new suburb may have a different
appearance i.e. no evidence of urban planning

Transport

Transport plays a vital role in the development pf a city’s structure. As transport systems
improve, more people buy cars and towns become less compact. People could live away from
city centre and commute to work places. Urban sprawl is usually evident along transport
networks.
Schematic diagram showing a urban profile.

Reasons for shape of urban profiles;

 Highest buildings are in the centre of the town, as the competition for land and high
land values lead to sky-scrapers being built.
 As land values decline towards the outskirts so does the height of buildings and the
density as well.
 To make the most of the land, buildings are tall and close together.
 The original site of the settlement has been replaced by the CBD.
 Most transport routes meet here, making it the town’s most accessible point.