Factors that can be put into consideration when identifying
Development potentials:
Basic Principles of Urban Land
Development
In land Development, there two key
considerations
1.
The need for residential, working, transportation, recreation, worship and
social environment that are functionally efficient and aesthetically pleasing;
and
2.
The need for physical environmental conservation for the purpose of maintaining
ecological balance. Man is a member of the various ecosystems, and if he is to
achieve more than temporary dominance over the system, he must understand these
ecological principles and interactions, and be somewhat guided by them in his
modifications of environment.
The
following factors can be considered.
• Site
• Location
Accessibility
• Legal
Instrument (Land Title)
• Development
(Land Use)
•
Time
Site
The
following are the common physical characteristics of sites.
a.
Ideal site
b.
Steep slopes
c.
Irregular and rugged sites or areas,
d.
Derelict quarried lands
e.
Rock outcrops, especially extensive ones
f.
Extensive sand tracts,
g.
Wetlands,: marshes and swamps
h.
Flood plains
i.
Surface water bodies
Copyright © 2013 by Oyebade Adewale. All
rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited without permission.
Ideal site
This
is a site with complimentary features that are either incentives to development
or which do not constitute impediment to it. For example for residential
development, the site must be:
• No
pollution zone
• Low
noise zone
• Not
too remote form security and neighborhood facilities, and services
• With
moderately firm soil
• Devoid
of excessive moisture
• Average
Load bearing capacity
• Gentle
slope of less than 12 degrees (20%), preferable in direction of public drains
• With
Access road, among others.
• Altitude
of about 50m and above
Steep Slope Site
Most
of environmental and land use literature do not favour the formal development
of steep slopes for building purpose. The reasons range, from the cost
implication of grading, basement construction and filling and backfilling and
foundation reinforcements, to environmental ones such as risk of flood due to
excessive run off and erosion, differential settlements, and land slide. Also
needed to consider is the provision and operating cost of building service
facilities.
However,
such site could be put to informal recreation use such as park, gardens and
event centers.
Irregular and rugged sites or areas
Irregular
and rugged site for residential, commercial, and industrial building purposes
has high cost implication for grading, transportation and building service
facilities.
However, the site can be put
to recreation use such as children play area, picnic and vacation use with a
considerable lower cost implication.
Copyright © 2013 by Oyebade Adewale. All
rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited without permission.
Derelict Quarried Lands
These
are former sites for stones, gravels, sand and clay extraction. If these sites
lie within an altitude of about 50 meter and above, they constitute a very good
site for construction, because of their firm surface structure. They may save
the cost of excavation of foundation trenches. However, if they lie within very
low altitude and very low in relation to the adjoining road level, it may bring
an implication for cost of backfilling in foundation as well as filling of the
outdoor area of the building. Another alternative to consider is to put to
recreation use in terms of parks,
gardens and picnic Centre. Plant treatment with trees, shrubs and grass can
produce desirable aesthetic experience.
Rock Outcrops
Physical
Planning process where it is effective will most of the time tend to reserve
the site for recreation purpose through a concept known as conservation.
However, where the permit is given for building purposes, one may consider
recreation on one hand and on the other hand the irregular hard surface may
make outdoor activity for residential building difficult if not impossible.
Such site may need special attention of a team construction expert’s attention.
If
the interest is build a spectacular resort Centre such hotel and club house,
well, it may worth its weight in gold.
Copyright © 2012 by Oyebade Adewale. All
rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited without permission.
Sand Tracts
Sand
and gravel tracts, particularly the coastal ones, are popular playgrounds for
both the young and the adults. They are
natural bases for water sports because usually along such are water bodies as
large as rivers, lagoons, lakes and sea. Building on such sites has
implications of technology and cost. The foundation choice is usually
reinforced raft, ground beam and pile. This is due to incidence of settlement
and low bearing capacity.
Wetlands
This
category includes marshes, swamps and bogs and make up ecological habitats for
special species of plant and animal. A lot of relationship exists between the
soils, hydrology, micro-climate and topography. The altitude in the zone is low
and close to the underground water aquifers.
In
the country side, the wetlands are usually left in their wild natural states.
However, in the urbanized city any of the following can be done
• They
can be dredged to produce artificial ponds or lakes.
• They
can be dammed if they are elongated to produce ponds and lakes.
• They
can be used to enhance accessibility
• For
aesthetic purposes their fringes may be paved and given geometrical treatment.
• They
can be drained and filled for recreational residential and industrial purposes.
In
any way, it has to be out in mind that, construction implications on the site
may include high cost of choosing the right technology.
Flood Plains
They
are natural channel of flood ways wherein both natural and artificially
generated run off from city flows under the force of gravity. Floods are natural
features of river valleys, where implication of destruction to life and
property could be tremendous.
Copyright © 2013 by Oyebade Adewale. All
rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited without permission.
Physical
Planning process prefer that the flood plains should not be built upon but
conserved as open spaces to store flood waters and minimize runoff during heavy
rains. The rational consideration lies in the positive correlation between
urban development
ad runoff. The process of urban development, see to the removal of
vegetation cover of the landscape with the replacement by man-made impervious
surfaces like concrete surfaces, building roofs, tarred and untarred roads. The
progressive creation of these impervious surfaces through the urbanization as a
process is what generate flood of increasing magnitude.
