Building a Home

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.