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Land Use City Planning City Design. Land Use: Definition. Land use is the modification of the natural environment or wilderness by humans Modifications include creating fields, pastures, roads, and settlements. Government. City/ Urban Government Common Council Mayor Alderperson
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Land Use: Definition • Land use is the modification of the natural environment or wilderness by humans • Modifications include creating fields, pastures, roads, and settlements
Government • City/ Urban Government Common Council Mayor Alderperson • Country/ Rural Government Town Chair County Board
Public Hearings • Recommendations made by council committees may require public hearings • The public is invited to make comments to the common council • Are 12 and 13 year olds allowed to speak at council meetings and public hearings? • YES!
Zoning • Residential (R-1; R-2; R-3) Single family; duplex; multifamily • Commercial • Agricultural (A-1; A-2; A-3) • Tax Exempt School, church, city hall, police, fire… • Recreational • Industrial
City Growth: Urban Planning • Includes the built and social environments of municipalities and communities • Building Architecture • Landscape Architecture • Roads and highways • Recreation • Education • Safety
Eminent Domain • Eminent domain gives the government the right to possess all property within the state • It was intended to only take private property for public use (roads, utilities) • However it recently has been invoked to take land for commercial businesses like shopping malls
Annexation • It’s the process that transfers parcels of land from smaller towns to cities • For cities it’s a way to continue growing and developing • Towns lose population, territory, and taxes so it’s often seen as hostile • If it’s not done thoughtfully, it can lead to higher taxes for the city
America- Building for the Automobile • One in Eight (12.5%) jobs in the U.S. is directly related to transportation • 440,000 public school buses transport 24 million children each day • 68.9% of all petroleum used in the US is for transportation
More Transportation Facts • In 2006 there were 8,371,718 miles of roads in the U.S. (US DOT) • That equals almost 55,000 SQUARE MILES of land used just for roads • This does not include parking lots! • Wisconsin’s land area is 54,310 sq miles
Automobiles have changed the landscape • Paving land means that water can’t percolate into the ground water • That water is funneled into lakes and rivers via storm drains • This can destroy aquatic organisms • Watertown gets about 30.88 inches of precipitation annually
Let’s put that in Perspective… • A parking lot is 50 feet by 100 feet • The area = 5000 sq feet; times 12 equals • 60,000 sq inches • Times 30.88 inches of precipitation • Equals 1,852,800 cubic inches of water; divided by 12 equals • 154,400 cubic feet; divided by 3 equals • 51,466.666 cubic yards of water • That’s 10,396,065.03 gallons from that one parking lot in one year
Floodplains protect against flooding River at flood stage Floodplain Floodplain
Filling in & building in the floodplain Flooding inevitable Floodplain buried by fill Floodplain buried by fill
Sprawl in Watertown • Many of the commercial buildings on Hwy 26 are built on filled-in floodplain • The drive-thru for Rocky Rococo’s slid into the river one week after it opened • Now that there is no floodplain, where will the water go after a flood? • We can’t keep allowing this kind of development without repercussions
Sustainability • Sustainability is a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely • Sustainable Development Stephen Wheeler: “Development that improves the long-term social and ecological health of cities and towns."
Why consider Sustainability? • Urban development creates many problems: Overuse of natural resources Ecosystem/ Natural Habitat destruction Urban heat islands and climate change Pollution Growing inequality in cities (Racism) Poor living conditions & quality of life How can quality of life be made better?
“Man's heart away from nature becomes hard” Chief Luther Standing Bear, 1891
Greenspace • Greenspace provides natural areas for people living in urban areas • Greenspaces are multi-functional and are used by many different people for many different things • It can help deter flooding • They also offer habitat for wildlife
Urban Sprawl • Urban growth without central planning and control becomes urban sprawl • It often starts by building along main roads and highways • Sprawl is made worse by commercial development like strip malls • Provides high visibility for advertising
Sprawl Costs Us All • Allowing sprawl costs taxpayers more than careful planning and development • Cities must provide new infrastructure (schools, roads, police, fire, gas lines, water and sewer) to serve a dispersed population • These costs are more than the city gets back in tax revenue • All infrastructure needs maintenance
Sprawl development forces more commuting • Driving to work and to the store means we spend more on fuel and car maintenance • Families spend less time together • Smart Growth includes a convenient blend of residential and commercial zoning • Smart Growth is sustainable • It allows choices of walking or biking to destinations
There is no way to walk to the store with this kind of development
Conservation Design • Randall Arendt is well known designer • http://www.landchoices.org/docfilm/arendt_clip1.htm • Controlled-growth land use that adopts the principle that ‘nature knows best’ • Allows sustainable development while protecting the area’s natural features in perpetuity • Includes preserving open space and vista, protecting farmland and natural habitats • Maintains the quaint character of rural communities
Common Greenspace requires a change in thinking… • We need to move past the idea of exclusive ownership, to some extent • We adopt a cooperative philosophy that sharing these spaces is best for everyone, not just those that can afford large lots
Riverwood Subdivision • Role Play- Zenith Council meeting • Riverwood is the oldest part of the large city Zenith • Zenith has a population of 200,000 • The following arguments are from past student responses:
Pro-Development • New jobs • More jobs • Buildings in disrepair need fixing • Hazardous; woods not safe for kids • More people means less taxes • More income for cityservices
Pro-Development • Less poverty • Better education; more schools • Better transportation/ more efficient • Modern buildings- energy efficient • More things to do; more skate parks, etc.
Pro-Development • Less welfare • Improved technology • More sports for kids • Sustain professional sports • Less dust from dirt roads • City can grow better if we start over
Pro-Development • New boat dock • ABC will pay to relocate residents • Marsh full of garbage • More money for parks • Offer enough to bring Olympics to Zenith
Pro-Development • Proposal can change if needed • Taller buildings, less land used • Modern buildings are cool • More tourism; more hotels, casinos • More police- safer • Increased business connections
Anti-Development • View will be obstructed • Landmarks destroyed • Need to keep marsh for wildlife and flood control • Children play in woods • More air pollution with development • More traffic = more accidents
Anti-Development • Pay more for insurance • Higher taxes • Less farmland if developed • More noise pollution • Transportation problems; traffic jams • There is a petition against it
Anti-Development • More water pollution • Not enough residential/ homes • Poor land use • Architecture not aesthetic • More crime • More poverty
Anti-Development • Too many people • Buildings too close • Not enough greenspace • More maintenance/ cost • Loss of quaintness
Anti-Development • More competition for jobs • Gangs like bigger cities • Waste disposal problems • Less outdoor recreation • Lose natural beauty
Anti-Development • Smaller community is family-oriented • More boats mean we can’t swim • Not as peaceful • Won’t be able to fish • Modern buildings look ugly
Now what? • Both sides have valid arguments • We should be able to find sound solutions to these problems