Did you ever stop to think who decided where your neighborhood would be? How long the blocks are, where each street will go, where the parks are, what can and can’t be built in that empty lot are all things city planners decide when they are laying down the ground work for a neighborhood or “zone.” But what if I told you that as part of them designing the neighborhood, they asked for certain things from the government that are required for them to effectively do their job. They create their master plan, bring it before the city council/mayor, and if they like it, the plan is carried out. In order for that to happen, more often than not, some long time residents are going to have to move, and there is no choice in that. If the government needs that land for a park or road, through eminent domain, they can essentially force the owners to sell their house. And keep in mind that all that power is in the hands of an unelected person, who gained the approval of the city government. How do you feel about it now? Do you think it’s a good system?
I have been researching the topic of city planning for our 8th grade culminating project. Some key things I’ve learned about it are that as stated above, the city planner has a lot of power over the feel of a neighborhood. That city planner has to go through a very long approval process; a process that the citizens only voice in is through the elected members of the city council, which isn’t much at all. The city planner can charge hefty amounts for their services. But there are some advantages to this system. The planner will make the area more efficient, more pleasant to live in, and promote certain qualities. The qualities they focus on encouraging in the residents can range from being a good neighbor, to being eco friendly. Also, would you want a factory across the street from you, belching out smog and noise?
It’s really incredible how much the things city planning does influence our lives. Studies have shown that people feel more inclined to be conscientious if they live near a park, even if it is just a small one. That’s crazy to think about. The more modern governments embrace the new trends, and the more they invest in building smart cities and other technologies, the more cities are going to improve. But in order to do this, they need the help of city planners
One other impactful aspect of the topic I explored involved the smart cities of the future. I can’t wrap my head around how the tech involved works, but what I can understand is how they could better the human race. Some features of the cities in the works include “smart grids,” public over ground transport where you get in what is essentially a large, personal box, and input your destination. The box would then find the best route, and go along it using magnetized rails imbedded in the streets. This supposed replacement to cars could potentially reduce carbon emissions per capita by 30%+. Technology is awesome, isn’t it?
This has shown me that everything is planned in a city. They don’t adlib anything. It’s kind of crazy to think that they are able to make these super accurate models of what the city will look like. The lack of randomness is somewhat reassuring, and very scary. They can predict nearly anything nowadays.
I think the way I want this project to impact me is that I want to be able to look around me, and fully appreciate the work that goes into creating the infrastructure of a city. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is immense. This project has opened my eyes to what’s around me, in more ways than one.