Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2011-11024
ARC 169A; AR. PEREZ
SITE PLANNING
According to the introduction of the third edition, Site Planning is an:
introduction to the art of site planning, an exposition of its principles, and a
condensed technical reference meant for students and practicing profeesionals and for
those who enjoy the urban landcape, or who are concerned with the social issues it
generates. At the urguing of its users, it has been completely reorganized and rewritten to
follow normal sequence of proffesional work.
Site planning has been called a "classic" that it is. This edition keeps the classic
relevant.
A marked care and devoion to detail is what has made and still makes Site
planning so
valueable. It is not a text or reference that will become dusty on the shelf.
by arranging the compositional elements of landform, planting, water, buildings and paving
in site plans. Site planning generally begins by assessing a potential site for development
through site analysis. Information about slope, soils, hydrology, vegetation, parcel
ownership, orientation, etc. are assessed and mapped. By determining areas that are poor
for development (such as floodplain or steep slopes) and better for development, the
planner or architect can assess optimal location and design a structure that works within
this space.
Site plan review establishes criteria for the layout, scale, appearance, safety, and
environmental impacts of commercial or industrial development, in an attempt to "fit" larger
projects into the community. Site plan review usually focuses on parking, traffic, drainage,
roadway construction, signage, utilities, screening, lighting, and other aspects of the
proposal to arrive at the best possible design for the location. In the usual situation, site
plan approval must be obtained before the building or special permit is issued.
Mass. Gen. L. ch. 40A, the Zoning Act, contains no reference to site plan review.
Site plan review is entirely the creature of the cities and towns that use it, and the courts
that have endorsed it.
Sustainable Site Planning
Among the first considerations for the site planner is to determine how to minimize
the disturbed area necessary for the project. Key aspects of minimizing how the disturbed
area are the degree to which the habitat and open space are preserved and created. Not
all open space is equal in this concern: athletic fields for example, are not considered to be
habitat or open space for purposes of sustanaibility, but a green roof might.
LANDSCAPING
Landscaping is a service industry. It serves people in fabricating environments
where they can live, work, play, or just pass time. These environments are primarily in the
outdoors or are in in interior settings that seek to suggest the outdoors. Landscapers use
the products of others to create the habitat areas that an range from utilirian to fantastic.
Though humans are the predominant clientele, others with whom we share the planet may
also benefit from the landsaper's effort.
and with "hard" (built) and "soft" (planted) materials, while integrating ecological
sustainability. The most valuable contribution can be made at the first stage of a project to
generate ideas with technical understanding and creative flair for the design, organization,
and use of spaces. The landscape architect can conceive the overall concept and prepare
the master plan, from which detailed design drawings and technical specifications are
prepared. They can also review proposals to authorize and supervise contracts for the
construction work. Other skills include preparing design impact assessments, conducting
environmental assessments and audits, and serving as an expert witness at inquiries on
land use issues.
Field of Activity
The variety of the professional tasks that landscape architects collaborate on is very
broad, but some examples of project types include: The planning, form, scale and siting of
new developments Civil design and public infrastructure Sustainable development
Stormwater management including rain gardens, green roofs, groundwater recharge, and
treatment wetlands Campus and site design for public institutions and government facilities
Parks, botanical gardens, arboretums, greenways, and nature preserves Recreation
facilities; i.e.: playgrounds, golf courses, theme parks and sports facilities Housing areas,
industrial parks and commercial developments Estate and residence landscape master
planning and design Highways, transportation structures, bridges, and transit corridors
Urban design, town and city squares, waterfronts, pedestrian schemes, and parking lots
Large to small urban renewal planning and design Natural park, tourist destination, and
recreating historical landscapes, and historic garden appraisal and conservation studies
Reservoirs, dams, power stations, reclamation of extractive industry applications or major
industrial projects and mitigation Environmental assessment and landscape assessment,
planning advice and land management proposals. Coastal and offshore developments and
mitigation Ecological Design any aspect of design that minimizes environmentally
destructive impacts by integrating itself with natural processes and sustainability
Landscape managers use their knowledge of landscape processes to advise on the longterm care and development of the landscape. They often work in forestry, nature
conservation and agriculture. Landscape scientists have specialist skills such as soil
science, hydrology, geomorphology or botany that they relate to the practical problems of
landscape work. Their projects can range from site surveys to the ecological assessment
of broad areas for planning or management purposes. They may also report on the impact
of development or the importance of particular species in a given area. Landscape
planners are concerned with landscape planning for the location, scenic, ecological and
recreational aspects of urban, rural and coastal land use. Their work is embodied in written
statements of policy and strategy, and their remit includes master planning for new
developments, landscape evaluations and assessments, and preparing countryside
management or policy plans. Some may also apply an additional specialism such as
landscape archaeology or law to the process of landscape planning. Green roof designers
design extensive and intensive roof gardens for storm water management, evapotranspirative cooling, sustainable architecture, aesthetics, and habitat creation.
project. The set out of these structures needs to form part of the overall initial survey so as
to ensure they do not impair the project over time. Throughout this process the Project
Manager must be mindful of the site safety and environmental requirements as part of the
ongoing compliance requirements of the project.
Other considerations are:
-Have all the relevant planning instruments been put in place prior to establishment?
-What measures are in place for erosion control?
-Is the site secure?
-What is the security plan?
-What are the access points for material and labour?
-Do the parties know what their obligations are in relation to access of the site?
-Is there any soil contamination management requirements?
A successful project management outcome is set up with a successful site
establishment process. It sets the tone for the remainder of the project and it is the
responsibility of the Project Manager to lead the team through this process. As always,
remember that todays Project Manager does not need to be a professional expert in all
the relevant fields. But they do need to show strong leadership skills in order to bring about
positive site management results. Project Managers have to assume that there are going
to be problems and challenges on the site in relation to the key elements. Even with sound
planning it is the ability to identify problems and work with the experts within the Project
Management Team to deliver the necessary solutions to those problems that sets the
Project Manager apart. There are technologies available that can enhance the ability to
predict some of these challenges and outcomes.
To summarize:
Site Establishment
Public Liability Insurance
Temporary Electrical
Temporary Fencing
Sediment Control
Site Foreman
Site Labourer
Temporary Water
SITE CONSIDERATIONS
Overall, we strive to be a a catalyst for economic development. We look for areas
that are underserved by grocery stores in general and by health food stores in particular.
We often serve as an anchor store in neighborhood and community shopping areas. We
may also locate near a larger retail complex or along retail-oriented arterial streets.
We bring full time retail positions and support services jobs to the communities we serve.
We pay well and offer benefits to the majority of employees. Our stores attracted a large
number of customers from the community, who will often stop at nearby stores for other
purchases.We offer a full time nutrition education professional in each store who provides
education and outreach services to our customers and the community.
We work with landowners, landlords, and developers who have properties available to
build on or buildings we can renovate to meet our needs. Each potential site is unique, and
each transaction is unique.
We use green building practice and materials in our stores. One key practice is to find
distressed but serviceable buildings to retrofit with appropriate heating and cooling
technology to decrease its energy footprint.These opportunities also improve the
surrounding community by converting blighted, underused properties to economically
active businesses. In our Northglenn, Colorado store we were able to install underground
geothermal heat capture systems which have eliminated our need for natural gas heating
in our stores year round.
Some buildings cannot be reused; they must be demolished and rebuilt. This may
be due to structural issues, severe environmental contamination, new building codes, the
location of structural walls, traffic access, life safety problems, etc. It is often seems more
expensive in the short term to demolish and rebuild, so community members sometimes
misunderstand why old buildings are not kept intact. In the long run, a new building will
serve its purpose in the best way at the lowest cost for the longest time.
Some buildings have historic or sentimental value that weigh against them being
demolished or significantly altered. Whenever possible, we prefer to repurpose existing
sites. We have successfully placed stores in 1950s movie theaters, dairy barns, and urban
warehouses We try to work with the local community to better understand what matters
and what is worth saving.
There is often a conflict between the nostalgic desire to keep landmark properties intact
and the economic cost of owning them. For the landlord paying taxes, insurance and a
mortgage on a property that is not creating income, the conflict can be quite painful
financially. Keep in mind that sometimes the only solution is a major conversion of a
historic property simply to make it less cost-prohibitive to own. Often, non-profits, urban
redevelopment authorities, or historical societies will come to the aid of a distressed
property owner, but even these organizations have to make hard decisions about what to
save and how best to save it. Absent a economically feasible plan, many of these sites
may sit empty, suffering vandalism or decay until they are too far gone to save or
repurpose.
Many buildings from the 50, 60s and 70s, however, were built to poor standards
and are very difficult for any business to retrofit effectively. You know the look low, flat
roofs bordering roads that have long since widened their lanes, leaving only a few parking
spaces in front and dangerous driveway entrances without traffic lights. In addition,
buildings from this era are subject to extensive planning, traffic,fire safety, land use and
other code reviews and often must be upgraded to meet current municipal requirements.
This is always expensive, and sometimes impossible.
the site changes quiete rapidly because site process work to establish a new equilibrium.
To witness this fact, one can drive throgh a construction area and witness the soil that has
washed over streets as storm runoff seeks to establish a new landform equilibrium. In
most cases, disequilibrium reuslts in increased maintenance problems and a less
sustanaible design solution.
To undesrtand a site, the designer analyzes on-site natural and human-made
factors, and off-site influences. Depending on site scale, complexity, and location, relevant
on-site natural factors usually include geologic susbstrate, topography or landform,
subsurface and surface water, soils, vegetation, wildlife, microclimate, and spatial and and
visula considerations. On- site human made factors can include existing structures,
pavements, such gravity-flow support systems as storm- and sanitary-sewarage systems,
and such pressure-flow systems as gas-electrical and telecommunications-distribuitions
systems. Off-site influences include physical elements, suchas pedestrian circulation,
vehicle transportation, adjacent land use, visual considerations, and so forth. A discussion
of site reconnaissance, inventory and analysis of each these factors and influences is
beyond the scope of this text.
Design must undesrtand each other of the preceeding variables, its relationships to
other variables, the generic patterns and the form variations they produce, types of data to
be generated, and how to interpret. They must also avoid analysis paralysis.
REFERENCES
Lynch K. (1984).Site Planning. MIT Press, Cambridge MA, The
Image of the City
Company.