Essay on Environmental Planning
According to Roof and Sutherland (28), the concept of the smart growth is a part of an urban and transportation planning. It needs to be noted this concept is particularly used in the US. Basically the smart growth means the sustainable growth in compact urban centers: “this is an approach to land use planning that promotes compact, transit-oriented urban communities that are attractive and livable.” (Boyle 38) So, this approach involves environmental, economic, and social elements of the urban planning. The major priority the smart growth followers is the long-range planning, but not short-term objectives. (Bridegan, Gaylord et al. 40)
Boyle (38) claims that the environmental impact of growth and development has been taken into account by local authorities across the US. This concept is enrolled into the planning and economic development framework of the urban areas. It is necessary to mention that smart growth is not related to the attempts to limit growth, but rather the application of smarter urban development strategies that would allow such planning be more sustainable over the long term and have less negative impact on the environment. (Boyle 38). Additionally, economic development in communities, cities, and regions will be enhanced by these smart development strategies.
Nowadays it became obvious that smart growth presents many environmental benefits. For instance, the advantages bought by this approach include minimization of air and water pollution, encouragement of
The following key the components of smart growth could be defined: the use of mix land; preference of compact building design; creation of different housing choices; planning the walkable neighborhoods; planning the attractive urban communities with distinctive features; preservation of natural beauty (specifically important for certain environmental areas); the further smart development of existing communities; providing different transportation options; the focus in the smart development decisions should b made on predictability, fairness and cost effectiveness; the importance of community and stakeholder collaborate participation in the decisions regarding the development of their areas. (“Environmental Benefits” n.a.)
Basically, this set of policies is designed to create a truly unique sense of community and place (Roof and Sutherland 28). In addition, the developers aim to increase a number of the transportation choices, to improve the situation with the employment in the certain areas, to suggest better housing offers, to provide the costs and benefits of development distribution fairly and equitably and, of course, to provide a protection of natural and cultural resources and increase public awareness about the need to preserve and enhance them.
What were the reasons for smart growth appearance? Roof and Sutherland (28) argue there were many negative consequences of the increased development. Among them were the rise in water levels of streams and rivers, flooding, stream bank erosion, and habitat degradation. (Roof and Sutherland 28) It happened because rainwater was prevented from completing its normal cycle of filtering through the ground. It was caused by the construction of roads, paved parking lots, rooftops, and other impermeable surfaces. (Roof and Sutherland 28)
Another significant negative consequence of the increased urban development was the air pollution. The traffic congestion is one of the major factors that cause air pollution in urban areas.
Development guided by smart growth principles can minimize air and water pollution, encourage brownfields clean-up and reuse, and preserve natural lands. (Roof and Sutherland 28)
Air quality may be improved by the reduction of the miles driven by each driver, therefore the emphasis should be made on people to choose walk, bicycle, or take public transit. These efforts will allow decreasing the amount of “automobile mileage and smog-forming emissions.” (“Environmental Benefits” n.a.)
As for the quality of water, the smart growth can be helpful in its protection by reducing the amount of paved surfaces. Another option is to allow natural lands to filter rainwater and runoff before it reaches drinking-water supplies. It needs to be specifically noted that there are many dangerous elements could be found in the mentioned runoff, such as toxic chemicals, phosphorus, and nitrogen (“Environmental Benefits” n.a.)
Another important element is brownfields. These are industrial and commercial facilities that are abandoned and are contaminated (sometimes they may be considered environmentally contaminated when they aren’t even dangerous in reality). There is an obvious advantage provided by the smart growth that suggests redeveloping a brownfield. It would allow cleaning this area from environmental contamination and consequently catalyzing neighborhood revitalization. (“Environmental Benefits” n.a.)
Open space preservation is a crucial element of smart growth approach as well. It helps to improve the situation with protection of the farmland, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and natural water filtration. (“Environmental Benefits” n.a.)
The natural environment (natural areas and wildlife habitat) is directly and indirectly influenced by urbanization and particularly by the urban infrastructure. The dispersed urban infrastructure means that citizens to do increased trips which are responsible for creation of air emissions and greenhouse gases.
There are many supporters of smart growth approach but there are also critics of it too. Critics argue that this strategy leads to the limitation of the property rights of the local citizens. In accordance with the article “Smart Growth and the Financial Crisis” by Cox (n.a.), this approach in some cases even increases the problems it aims to prevent.
One of the elements of environmental planning is development of environmentally friendly architecture. This conceptual framework has three levels and they match up to the three goals of architectural environmental responsibility; generating ecological alertness, understanding the construction environment, and understanding how to design sustainable structures. Three general, theoretical principles of in environmentally responsible structural design are proposed. The three are life cycle design, economy of resources, along with humane design. These three principles present a far-reaching understanding of the environment matters linked to structural design.
These theoretical approaches are anticipated to promote an understanding of how a construction interrelates with the in-house, neighboring, and universal environments.
One of the elements of environmentally friendly architecture is the economy of resources which deals with the cutback, reclaim, along with recycling of the natural supplies that are integrated to a construction. Another element is the life cycle design that allows evaluating the construction procedure and its effects on the environment. And finally humane design centers on the relations involving human beings along with the natural world.
The third and probably the most important principles of in environmentally responsible structural design is the principle of humane design. Whereas economy of resources, in addition to the life cycle design tackle effectiveness and preservation of the environment, humane design deals with the ‘livability’ of all elements of the overall environment, together with the flora and fauna.
In average, a minimum of 70 percent of individual’s lifetime is used up indoors (Maier 81). An indispensable responsibility of the architect is to design buildings environments that maintain inhabitants’ security, healthiness, bodily comfort, mental comfort, and efficiency. Since this environmental aspect is insubstantial, it is often disregarded in the pursuit of energy along with ecological preservation. (Maier 81)
