2.3.1 Urban Planning1
Urban planning deals with three general areas: (1) building new housing developments,
(2) upgrading inner-city deteriorating housing and recreational areas, and (3)
planning public facilities (such as schools and airports). The constraints associated with
these projects are both economic (land, construction, financing) and social (schools,
parks, income level). The objectives in urban planning vary. [n new housing developments,
profit is usually the motive for undertaking the project. In the remaining two
categories, the goals involve social, political, economic, and cultural considerations. Indeed,
in a publicized case in 2004, the mayor of a city in Ohio wanted to condemn an
old area of the city to make way for a luxury housing development. The motive was to
increase tax collection to help alleviate budget shortages. The example presented in
this section is fashioned after the Ohio case.