Talk:Urban planning

What is Urban Planning? Urban planning is a balanced technical and political process addressing the welfare of people and communities, the control of the use of land, the design of the urban environment (including the objects therein, the functions thereof, and their interaction), and the protection and enhancement of the natural environment. It seeks to balance economic development with social/societal enhancements and environmental protection, and to create accessible and attractive urban spaces for present and future generations. Jan Gehl, the preeminent city planner, stated (when asked what message he would wish to convey to New York City planners): "the same message I have conveyed for 40 years: that we as planners, architects, landscape architects, and traffic engineers have to serve communities to make life richer and to solve our conflicts so that people can develop their neighbourhoods and their cities in dignity and move about. I have talked especially about the soft end of the moving about, which is what cities have traditionally been about..." Janette Sadik-Khan. "Traffic, Pedestrians, and Bicyclists." New York Transportation Journal. 2006.