What Are Urban Planning Projects?

Urban planning refers to the design, regulation and use of space focusing on the form, economic function and social impacts of an urban environment and the activities that are conducted within it. It draws on the disciplines of architecture, engineering, social science and politics to provide an ideal city environment that takes into account both economic and social concerns.

Urban planning projects seek to balance the often conflicting demands of economic function, social equity, environmental and aesthetic concerns with development that is directed and undertaken with a planning process in place from the start. Planning projects can apply to a neighborhood, suburb, metropolitan area or city as a whole in order to achieve these aims. The successful implementation of such plans requires careful negotiation between all stakeholders and actors as well as entrepreneurship and political knowledge on the part of developers and planning authorities.