Community Planning

Integrated Design Approach

By Robert Slipka
Feb. 6, 2015

Integrated design brings together a diverse team of design professionals on one project. Projects benefit from this approach because a wider range of experts is contributing throughout the project as a team, rather than acting independently.

Early integration is crucial to reduce the potential for expensive conflicts as design progresses or implementation begins. The integrated design approach involves all parties, including design professionals, clients/owners, permitting agencies, and others. Involvement may also include cost analysis specialists, construction managers, and contractors.

No matter what that project type, an integrated approach helps ensure a holistic outcome rather than a culmination of interdependent elements. Below are two examples of what teams could look like.

Example 1

A site development project is led by a landscape architect or civil engineer with direct integration of specialists such as environmental scientists, ecological specialists, engineers, building architects, electrical engineers, irrigation designers, and the client (including their operations and maintenance staff).

Example 2

A roadway corridor project is led by a transportation engineer and/or a planner. The team for this type of project may integrate urban designers/landscape architects, engineers, environmental scientists, right-of-way specialists, and representatives from numerous government agencies.

Design charrettes and brainstorming sessions are often utilized heavily in the beginning phases of project planning and design. This helps the team identify key goals, strategies, and desired outcomes of the project while also establishing areas of conflict or design implications. Including a diverse range of professionals means a better likelihood of achieving creative solutions that might not be explored in a conventional, non-integrated approach. As the project develops into the construction documents phase, continued collaboration is required to ensure compatibility of spatial character, uses, spaces, materials, and other factors. This approach can also identify conflicts that might not otherwise be identified until late in design or into construction, avoiding unanticipated costs or redesign.

Although an integrated approach provides better results, it is important for consultants and clients to judge how extensively integration needs to occur based on costs and benefits. Some projects are smaller in scale or fee, which can make an elaborate integrated approach difficult to justify. Clients should also be aware that the term “one-stop shop,” often utilized to describe multi-disciplinary firms, does not necessarily mean that an integrated design approach is used for projects. If it is unclear or unproven, clients should ask the consultant to describe how the various team members will be integrated throughout the design process. The ultimate goal is to achieve higher quality projects with increased cost effectiveness to clients.

Planned unit developments: Easing zoning ordinances in exchange for creative development

By Addison Lewis
October 21, 2016

What is a Planning Unit Development (PUD)?

A Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a zoning designation used to ease the strict application of a zoning ordinance in exchange for creativity in development. A PUD is often used to provide deviations from standards such as setbacks, height, density, uses, and other regulations. A PUD is used when planning for larger areas (one acre or more), planning for multiple contiguous sites, or accommodating multiple buildings on one site. The area should be under unified ownership at the time of a land use application for a PUD. In exchange for deviations from the zoning requirements, benefits such as additional greenspace, pedestrian or transit amenities, enhanced energy efficiency or stormwater management, affordable housing, mixed use, or enhanced architectural features are usually provided by the developer to achieve a higher quality development that might not otherwise occur.

When to use a PUD 

A PUD is used to implement development goals identified in a community’s comprehensive plan. PUD process is not just an alternative to variances – it should be considered for unique development projects where the public benefit or development goal is clearly understood, and when the project would not otherwise be permitted through strict application of the zoning ordinance.

What to consider when developing a PUD

When developing a PUD ordinance, be sure to identify amenities or conditions that will help achieve the goals and objectives of the community’s comprehensive plan. A PUD ordinance should only be used if these amenities or conditions are offered by the developer. You may want to specifically list in the ordinance which specific zoning standards were deviated from.

A PUD designation is a similar process to rezoning. Think of each PUD as a customized zoning district that specifically identifies the location of buildings, uses, architectural design, etc. A PUD is a great tool for encouraging creativity and providing flexibility from the zoning ordinance, but once it is adopted any future change could require an amendment, depending on whether it is a major or minor change. A minor change can be approved administratively, while a major change would need to follow the same process as a rezoning. The community’s ordinance should identify which changes are considered minor or major.

Planning and the “Smart City”

By Karina Martin
March 4, 2016

What is a Smart City?

Monumental advances in technology and data management over the past two decades coupled with a global increase in the urban area population have paved the way for integrating more technological networks into the built environment and public engagement processes. There is a demand for increased public accountability, constant access to real-time data, and a growing awareness of the need to develop cleaner and more cost-effective infrastructure systems. A Smart City systematically incorporates data and technology into existing frameworks to efficiently operate local systems, reduce costs, enhance quality of life, and invite more sharing of ideas.

Why a Smart City initiative?

Planners will play an important role in the future of Smart City development and are already facing important questions related to technology deployment, data collection, and overcoming technology access and equity concerns. The American Planning Association (APA) developed its Smart Cities and Sustainability Initiative to affirm the relevance of Smart City technology to the field of planning and to identify what critical technologies planners will need to pay attention to in the decades to come. The main goal was to gauge the knowledge and interest level of planning professionals in different aspects of Smart Cities and to make recommendations about how to support the interests of planning professionals going forward.

Overview of Smart Cities components

The concept of Smart Cities can seem intangible. The Smart Cities and Sustainability Initiative report gives a broad overview of the key components of Smart Cities and provides a framework for understanding and tying the concept to the planning profession.

Broadband network expansion – High-speed broadband networks will become a staple of Smart City technology. The definition of “high-speed” is continuously changing, and the demand for streaming services and cloud computing are pushing the limits of what is considered fast and reliable access. The FCC National Broadband Plan has a goal of delivering 100 mbps broadband to anchor public institutions like libraries, schools, and government centers by 2020.

Smart Cities will need to balance investments in both broadband and wireless network access to meet the needs of a diverse customer base.

Technology and data applications – Smart Cities require incorporating more data into existing systems. Smart Cities put data to greater use, which requires enhanced points of data collection integrated into infrastructure. The Smart City is adept at “collecting, communicating and crunching” data (Smart Cities and Sustainability Initiative, page 12), as well as using data to optimize systems and anticipating problems before they occur.

Sustainability, resiliency and energy – Much optimism surrounds the idea of using Smart City technologies to improve the energy efficiency of local and regional systems. Deploying “smart grids” will allow for automated and adaptable energy delivery systems. Green building technologies will help improve the energy efficiency of buildings, the single-largest carbon emissions source in the world. Planners can influence code and ordinance development to help usher in these changes in the built environment.

Equity and the digital divide – While Smart City technology has the potential to be transformative, the increasing role of technological services raises the important question of access and equity. The potential exists for certain populations to be systematically excluded or underserved by Smart City technology, including seniors, low-income families, minority households, and individuals without a college education (Smart Cities and Sustainability Initiative, page 14).

Governance and the planner’s role – Smart Cities implies an increasing reliance upon technological applications for public feedback and engagement. The hope is that increasing the access points for public engagement through technology will reach more people than traditional methods. Planners will need to use this technology in a transparent fashion and ensure that public trust is maintained.

Findings of the Smart City initiative: What is of most interest to planners?

The APA Smart Cities Initiative Task Force incorporated a listening phase, which directed outreach to APA members through a survey including 14 different Smart City topics, asking participants to rank the importance of these topics, their interest and their desire to learn more about each topic. The listening phase also included an ideation tool online forum, and an innovation portal hosted by an APA-based LinkedIn portal.

Green building and site design, socio-economic disparity, and renewable energy and efficiency were ranked as the top three areas of importance by survey respondents. Public safety and freight supply were ranked as the least important. Interestingly, public safety also ranked as the subject area that most planners want to learn more about. The full list of topics and the results matrix is included here:

Moving forward

The report concludes by observing that planners have an interest in Smart Cities, and recommends that APA develop strategic actions, including:

• Centralize innovative information surrounding Smart Cities for use by planning professionals
• Develop comprehensive plan Smart City guidelines
• Partner with research entities to increase the body of knowledge on Smart City technologies
• Utilize APA’s National Planning Conference as an opportunity to teach about technology
• Work with AICP to train planners on integrating technology systems
• Create a divisions council initiative for Smart Cities
• Offer ethics training related to big data
• Advocate for policies that bridge the digital divide

Parks, Open Space, and Trail System Planning

by Candace Amberg
Feb. 6, 2015

Quality of life in any community is dependent on that community’s character, physical environment, and personal living space. These can all be improved when a community includes parks, natural open spaces, trails, and recreational opportunities.
The most successful approach to developing a park system plan – or any comprehensive planning project – is through a robust public engagement process. This will achieve the best understanding of constituent needs, resulting in local confidence that planning decisions align with and are relevant to the interests of the population being served. It is particularly important to engage the public when considering a referendum. The graphic below illustrations how a public engagement process can avoid wasted resources or community dissatisfaction.

Modern park system planning should be based on the specific needs of the community and citizens that the parks will serve. The process of developing and maintaining public space is costly and time intensive, and should be conducted through a thorough and transparent needs assessment and public process. This routinely involves hosting several input and review meetings with a wide variety of individuals, committees and stakeholders. Digital communications, social media, and other survey techniques may be effective ways to reach the right audiences.

The goal is ultimately to ensure that the findings and recommendations are a synthesis of the input from the residents, elected officials, city staff, and other community members. Following is a partial list of considerations that are typically explored when considering long-term improvements to a community’s park system.

• History of the system
• Previous planning studies and reports
• Demographics
• Recreation trends
• System-wide property and facility assessment
• Public input/needs and desires of the community
• Active/programmed recreation, as well as passive uses
• Community image, tourism, and economic development
• Trail network – internal and external connections
• Natural resource management
• Budget
• Safety and accessibility
• Flexibility of spaces to create a variety of experiences
• Operations and maintenance