However, because of the peculiar nature and importance of the built environment, planners around the world have emphasized the need to cater for physical development within the cities and other human settlement using planning principles and concepts. The essence of this is to achieve a livable settlement described as ‘a welcoming, organized and comprehensible environment, where physical elements is unifying, accessibility facilitate communication and promote interactions and flexibility (University of Vermont Planning Unit 1997). Physical development planning, which is concerned with the process of ordering the use of land and sitting of buildings structures and communications to secure the maximum degree of economy, functionality, convenience and beauty (Keeble, 1969), has therefore come to be accepted as a major area of planning because it encompasses all other facets of human interaction with land, including building engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under any land.
The above statement is vividly captured in the UN Agenda 21 and Habitat Agenda summed up in the concept of urban physical sustainability defined as an intervention to enhance the livability of buildings and urban infrastructure for all city dwellers, without damaging or disrupting the urban region environment (Adriana and Nicholas 2002).