Post 11

Ann-Margaret Esnard, Nancy Sappington and Miltion R, Ospina

The reading this week was about using the Geographical Information System (GIS) as a tool to aid planners with land usage and allocation. GIS is made up of hardware, software, data, metadata, vector data and raster data. These components combined are used to overlay images of maps. 

The importance of the GIS to planners is to understand the land usage and all the variables affecting that piece of land. The GIS is just a tool which has to be manipulated by the planner to obtain the data results specific to the task. For example, a high risk fire zone when added as a layer on the map will highlight all the areas which cannot be built on due to the fire risk. The GIS distinguishes the overlays with different colours and patterns so the planner is able to differentiate between the particular zone(s).

The use of GIS saves planners considerable time and money as they do not have to continuously compare hard copies and sometimes outdated maps. Although this is not to say that hard copy maps have become a useless tool for the planning profession, but nowadays they are used in conjunction with GIS.

GIS has become an important device for the modern day planner, although it is important to note that the GIS does not solve planning problems but is merely a tool. It is the planner and their ability to navigate the GIS which determines how the information and conclusions are extracted.

Post 10

Planning Metropolitan Regions

Gary Hack

With new development happening consistently within cities it is becoming increasingly hard to distinguish where one city starts and ends such as Osaka-Tokyo. Combined with this issue of defining the metropolitan region is mixing the new and established development to have a dynamic flow through the region of community, transportation, access, housing, and industry to create a mixed use centre.

The Greater City of Sydney is an Australian example of a Metropolitan region which does have processes of urban consolidation taking place but also is continuing to sprawl outwards. With telecommunications becoming increasingly accessible it is evident that people in the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and South Coast are able to work in the week partly from home and partly in the city as they have become increasingly connected to Sydney. The map below indicates what is classified as the Greater City of Sydney. Penrith was once considered to be the most Western region of Sydney being on the peri urban fringe. As Sydney’s pressures increase, so will the demand on the Greater City of Sydney as it expands. Pressures on the Greater Western City of Sydney are shown through Penrith, Katoomba and Lithgow in this link. http://www.crlra.utas.edu.au/files/rolevet2/Penrith.PDF

The map indicates the growth of Sydney and it needs and resources ever expanding.

http://www.sydney-australia.biz/maps/greater-sydney-map.php

The challenge for the present and into the future is to combine the land-usage, and utilise the space in a way that creates highly functional regions. With Sydney continuing to sprawl this means sub-centres which need to flow on from established centres on that region. Planning for Metropolitan regions has great potential if we start planning now and not tomorrow!