Planning of towns and cities
libre 8
The main task of urban planning is to create optimal conditions for human life. Greening of settlements is one of the most powerful means of optimizing such conditions and is part of the general urban planning measures for planning and development of cities and towns.
The development of urban and settlement greening projects is carried out taking into account natural and climatic, economic and regional factors and features.
Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to know the modern classification of cities and towns, what factors determine their emergence and development, as well as what their planning structure is. 
These include minerals, energy resources, agricultural land, and railroad crossings. Resort towns or resort villages appear along the banks of rivers, lakes, seas, in areas with access to mineral springs.
All settlements are classified by population size, administrative and political significance (republican, regional, district center), economic significance of the city (industrial center, transportation hub, resort city, etc.), local natural and historical and landscape features, and the nature of development.
Population size
One of the most important features that plays a major role in determining the size of green areas for cities and towns is the population. According to the population size, cities are divided into:
- the largest (over 500 thousand people);
- large (250-500 thousand);
- large (100-250 thousand);
- medium (50-100 thousand);
- small (50 thousand people).
Settlements are divided into:
- large (over 10 thousand people);
- large (5-10 thousand);
- medium (3-5 thousand);
- small (up to 3 thousand people).
In recent decades, there has been a tendency to increase the number of large and largest cities. The historical process of increasing the role of cities in the development of society is called urbanization. The basis for drawing up urban planning and development projects is the national economic development plan. In practice, city planning and development is usually planned for a period of 25 years.
For the first stage of construction (the next 5-10 years), the scope of construction is determined in detail - the development of industrial production, the need for territory, the scale of landscaping and greening, and the total number of employees.
The design of the new city is based on an urban planning study of the territory for future construction. A differentiated analysis is carried out within the territory selected for the city, taking into account the location of the main zones:
- natural and climatic studies with a comprehensive assessment of insolation, temperature, wind and humidity conditions in various forms of landscape - near water bodies and in forests, on uplands and lowlands with an assessment of soil conditions, soils, and existing vegetation
- topographical survey s and engineering and construction assessment of the territory with specification of hydrological and hydrogeological regimes, geological structure and bearing capacity of soils, flooded and non-flooded areas, erosion and gully formation areas, etc;
- architectural and landscape study of the territory.
The project of planning and development of the city, which includes design solutions for the planning of residential and industrial areas, projects for landscaping and gardening, and the placement of engineering equipment, should reflect the expressiveness of the three-dimensional compositional solution of the development with maximum consideration of landscape, socio-economic and national characteristics.
Urban population
When drawing up a project for the planning and development of a settlement, it is necessary to establish the size of its territory, the nature of development, as well as landscaping and gardening, the amount of living space, the composition of the group of service institutions, etc. To do this, you need to know the estimated population, which is derived from the profile of the city or town and its significance. Conventionally, the entire urban population is divided into three groups:
- city-forming, whose share is 33-38% and in the future - 25-35%;
- service population, which makes up 23-26% for large cities and 19-22% for medium and small cities. With the growth of a city, the share of this group increases as the system of cultural and household services develops, and the share of the city-forming group decreases;
- the non-working population (children, the elderly, the disabled), or a non-self-employed group, whose share ranges from 46 to 48% and does not depend on the size of the city.
The composition of the population by group for each settlement is specified on the basis of special studies. Approximate aggregate figures are used to determine the approximate size of the total territory of a city or town. When designing new cities, the demographic structure of the population, its age, family composition, their needs, and relationships with the system of municipal service institutions are taken into account. The service group of institutions and enterprises includes
- cultural and educational (schools, clubs, libraries, cinemas, theaters, etc.)
- municipal medical institutions (polyclinics, maternity homes, hospitals, etc.)
- enterprises of local importance in food and light industry, trade, consumer services, and transportation.
The territory of a settlement where complexes of buildings and structures for a particular purpose are located is conventionally called a zone. The decision on the relative location of zones over the entire area of a city or village is made by functional zoning, which is based on the main social functions - work, life, recreation and movement of the population. These functions determine the structure of a settlement. 
In the new cities, industrial complexes (chemicals, metallurgy) are combined into industrial districts isolated from residential buildings. Such districts allow for better working and service conditions for employees, and most importantly, better conditions for production.
In modern cities, social centers, medical facilities, and recreation areas are located within industrial districts (especially for harmless machine-building enterprises). In new cities that are scientific centers, scientific and technical zones are emerging that include pilot production facilities, research centers, and design bureaus that directly serve production.
The everyday life of city residents is determined by the interests of their families, housing, child-rearing, education, healthcare, cultural, commercial and consumer services. The household interests of the population are satisfied both in industrial areas and recreation areas, and directly in the residential (settlement) zone of the city.
The residential area of the city has its own planning structure based on the principles of a step structure. It is characterized by the sequential formation of the main links - residential areas, neighborhoods, groups of houses. The residential area includes a whole network of institutions and public service enterprises (shops, laundries, post offices, savings banks, etc.), as well as such planning elements as a street and highway network, transport stops, recreation areas, parks, gardens, etc.
Recreation is one of the broadest functions of urban life in terms of distribution. Enterprises and recreation facilities are located in different parts of the development, as well as outside it. In cities, there are areas of short-term (on weekends) and long-term recreation (during vacations). The types of recreation and their place in the structure of the city and suburban area are determined taking into account the peculiarities of recreation of different age groups (children, youth, adults, pensioners).
Along with the industrial and rural zones of the city, there is a complex functional zone called the public center. A community center can be a citywide or a district center. The citywide center concentrates the main functions of administrative, socio-political and cultural life of the city and services to the population.
The functions of the center (as well as of the city) are divided into three groups: labor (social and political work) and management, education and science; life (food, trade, household services), and recreation (entertainment, culture and sports). Each of these groups is served by different institutions. The content of the center determines its location in the city plan, the boundaries of the central zone, etc.
City structure
The system of streets and highways plays a special role in the planning structure of a city. It unites industry, residential areas, a public center, and recreational areas.
The structure of all city zones (industrial, residential, public center and recreation) includes plantations, reservoirs, lawns and other landscape elements that form the city's greening system. The greening system is a unifying planning factor and includes various recreational facilities (parks, stadiums, etc.). 
The most important principle of urban planning is the development of a specific architectural and landscape planning solution, taking into account local conditions. The landscape features of the area (relief, vegetation, water bodies) should be creatively used in the project. If the area does not have distinctive landscape forms, it is necessary to systematically transform it with maximum preservation of vegetation.
