Planning 100 Creative Communities

Planning 100 Creative Communities
Planning 100 “Creative Communities” is a first year paper that focuses on the evolution of planning ideas and practice. It studies the past in order to see how cities should or could be shaped from now onwards. There is a broad range of topics covered throughout the paper. However, each topic relates to the ideas of planning, creativity and communities. The paper starts out looking at ancient civilizations and the importance of the town or village as a place for trade and politics. The 17th century industrial revolution is another key topic focused on with its impact on urbanization, advancement of technology and introduction of regulatory planning laws in relation to health and safety. This then leads into the topic of growth, public transport, the phenomenon of urban spread and the reaction against urban sprawl. This is where the key ideas of planning, creativity and problem solving come into place. The case studies that support these ideas include Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City model and Le Corbusier’s satellite cities. Other case studies looked at includes Baron Haussmann’s beautification project for Paris and Jamie Lerner’s master plan for a sustainable Curitiba. Finally, the paper looks at modern day cities and issues such as safety, sustainability and urban renewal.
What is involved?
There are two assignments (both essays) for the paper. The first essay topic is: “Are cities useful?”
This essay talks about the social, physical, cultural, political and environmental networks of the city. The argument claims that these networks provide essential functions for the survival of mankind. In relation to this, the essay argues that cities are useful in that they promote social cohesion in society as well as a greater sense of security amongst people through their stream of networks that encourage and are designed for social interaction.
The second essay reviews a quote by Richard Rogers in Cities for a Small Planet (1997) which is: “as our relationship to the environment becomes ever more complex and precarious, city planning becomes one of the most important disciplines”. The discussion involved in this essay analyses the factors involved in contributing to a complex environment. Such factors include: the relationship between population growth and urban sprawl and the impact this places on the receiving environment. It can be argued that the role of planning will become increasingly important as it is a sector that looks into creativity and problem solving as a solution to issues such as these. Therefore, the argument is clear in that the role of city planning is an important discipline in the 21st century as it manages how growth should be accommodated in terms of space and resources.
What I learned?
This paper encourages a clear understanding of:
· How the past has shaped cities
· The key issues that 21st Century cities are faced with
· How planning has a role in thinking creatively-to find and work with solutions to these problems