WORDS BY: KAT DARUAY
MAP IMAGE FROM GOOGLE EARTH
October 20, 2009 | 2974 views
The concept of urban planning has been around since the ancient times. Remember the lectures we all had to go through in college on the Nile and Euphrates rivers and how the first civilization and communities came about with people setting up near the rivers? That was the start of basic urban planning, and the rest as they say is history.
Why is Urban Planning Needed?
Without urban planning, there would be utter chaos. There would be people who would want this and that to happen to their surroundings without taking into account the possible consequences of their actions. With urban planning, there would be structure and form. People would hopefully have a better sense of promoting a physical environment that is harmonious, pleasing and convenient.
Another reason urban planning is needed is largely for the local governments to map out the development of their respective cities. Imagine cities in Metro Manila that have wayward zonings, roads that should be there but aren’t, or simply villages near river ways.
Oh, wait. That is exactly the case right now. So, as you can probably imagine already, urban planning is not just some architectural concept that popped out just now because of the typhoons. It has been here for ages; the only problem is that it has not been seriously given the attention.
Is urban planning important?
The obvious answer to this question is a resounding yes. Without it, calamities like the ones we experienced recently can happen again. And, as we all know, that is no laughing matter. No one would want to go through climbing all the way to rooftop again just to escape the floods. Not even of Zorro came with a speed boat to save you from being trapped on top of your roof.
Urban planning will help define the structure of a certain place. Structure helps keep everything in place. And with everything in place, development is easier to achieve, and destruction such as the September 26 flooding, cushioned.
