Urban Planning Definitions

Urban planning is the initial phase of urban development. Private planning is coordinated with public planning, because private planning takes into account social and economic factors. Planning operations are grouped according to main concern. Principal groups and sequence of considerations within and between groups indicate the planning process. These groups include the following: (1) General surveys and research that provide physical and economic bases; (2) environmental considerations that relate physical and man-made conditions to human health, and relate environmental improvement and control to other planning operations; (3) the planning of transportation and other facilities, using the public works program, that all come under the broad heading of planning and services; (4) the planning of land for public use and the forecast of private land development, using official maps and plans for advance acquisition of land for all public purposes; and (5) public participation in accordance with orderly democratic procedure.