The Neighborhood units
In the past, the city block was a place for communal assembly. For instance, the “Cuadras” or square blocks of several Latin American cities served as a gathering area (Mumford, 1954). As land values increased, every region had to be commercialized to produce the maximum revenue. The vital functions of cities are to ensure interactions between citizens for there to be progress. The towns have been altered by automated modes of transport, innovative ways of production and food conservation. However, there have been efforts by authorities to improve living conditions. These measures include new building codes, creating city planning commissions, and formulation of policies governing city development to avoid previous errors. Developing countries should also adopt this knowledge, but they are not aware of the risks associated with unplanned growth. This planning sustains a cohesive society and ensures social values observed. When people integrate well, they appreciate the necessity of living in an organized community.
There have been efforts to form a common program for all neighbourhood units to limit the number of occupants, kinds of houses and criteria for constructions. However, these efforts have been futile because it is hard to come up with a policy for all countries. There are different conditions affecting standards of living of people such as climate, location and topography. These conditions will assist in determining plans of neighbourhood units. In emerging countries, a lot can be accomplished by increasing neighbourhood contacts and enhancing good relations. Climatic conditions are essential in establishing a plan. An example is of subtropical climates where there should be spacing between constructions to ensure the growth of foliage. There are other factors besides weather like the density of population that affect planning. Larger cities with a lot of people can lead to high costs of living. Although there are problems associated with these places such as overcrowding, people still move there in huge numbers.
The motive for any planner is to bring different individuals together. Also, there is a need for a better understanding of people, and this will be attained by planned social amenities. This situation will be a manifestation of the ties that bring people together. In planning these neighbourhood units, there should be the close working of architects, engineers and builders until completion. Then the setting up of the neighbourhood will depend on all these factors and how they are supposed to be carried out.
Questions
Are developing countries indeed unaware of the dangers of unplanned growth?
Should communal assembly be enforced in our modern world?