How GIS is Used as an Urban Planning Tool

GIS as applied as the urban planning tool

According to Burrough (1986:6), GIS (Geographic Information System) is a set of tools for collection, storing, retrieval at will, transforming and displaying spatial data from the real world for a particular set of purposes. GIS is also defined by the Department of Environment (1987:132) as a system for capturing, storing, checking, manipulating, analyzing and displaying data, which are spatially referenced to the earth. GIS is just one of the formalized computer-basedinformation systems capable of integrating data from various sources to provide the information necessary for effective decision-making in urban planning (Han and Kim, 1989).

Urban planning is the process of giving physical design direction to urban growth, conservation and change (Barnett, 1982:12). It is also an applied multi- and interdisciplinary field that is concerned with the interaction between population and the environment in which they live. It involves many functions, scales, sectors and stages.

GIS is used for the storage of land use maps and plans, socioeconomic data, environmental data, and planning applications. Planners can extract useful information from the database through spatial query. Mapping provides the most powerful visualization tools in GIS. It can be used to explore the distribution of socioeconomic and environmental data, and display the results of spatial analysis and modeling exercises. Spatial analysis and modelling are used for spatial statistical analysis, site selection, and identification of planning action areas, land suitability analysis, land use transport modeling, and impact assessment. The following is a brief description, presented in form of stages, on how GIS is used as an urban planning tool. 

Forest resource inventory

Resource inventory

This stage requires inventorying GIS-related resources such as, maps, drawings, spatial and tabular data, database, IT resources (hardware, software, and network), and the staff skills and interests (Shamsi, 2005:32). Geographical information, when integrated with Remote Sensing, can save time in collecting land use and environmental information. Remote Sensing images are becoming an important source of spatial information for urban areas. They can help to detect land use and land use changes for whole urban areas (Barnsley et al 1993). In particular, stereoscopic pairs of digital aerial photographs can be used to derive 3-dimensional CAD models of buildings for dynamic visualization of a city, or for direct import into a GIS database. 

Analysis of existing situations

GIS can help to store, manipulate, and analyze physical, social, and economic data of a city. Planners can then use the spatial query and mapping functions of GIS to analyze the existing situation in the city. Through map overlay analysis, GIS can help to identify areas of conflict of land development with the environment by overlaying existing land development on land suitability maps. Areas of environmental sensitivity can be identified using remote sensing and other environmental information (Yeh and Li, 1993). 

Modelling and projection

A key function of planning is the projection of future population and economic growth. GIS can be used for prediction and projection (Longley et al 1994). Spatial modelling of spatial distributions makes it possible to estimate the widest range of impacts of existing trends of population, and of economic and environmental change. For example, a range of environmental scenarios can be investigated through the projection of future demand for land resources from population and economic activities, modelling of the spatial distribution of such demand, and then using GIS map overlay analysis to identify areas of conflict. Using socioeconomic and environmental data stored in GIS, environmental planning models have been developed to identify areas of environmental concern and development conflict. GIS can also be used to model different development scenarios. It can show the modelling results in graphic form, making them easy to communicate with the decision-makers (Armstrong et al 1992). Planners can use such information to formulate different planning options and help guide future development so that they avoid such conflicts. 

Development of planning options

There are physical parameters responsible for selection of the suitable sites for residential area and suitability rating land quality using Remote Sensing and GIS (Jain, 2009:24). Land suitability maps are very useful in the development of planning options. They can be used to identify the solution space for future development. The association of spatial optimization models with GIS can help to formulate and develop planning options, which try to maximize or minimize some objective functions. The simulation of different scenarios of development with GIS can help in developing planning options.

Selection of planning options

The final selection of a planning option is increasingly a political process, but planners can provide technical inputs to this process in order to help the community in making their collective choices. The integration of spatial and non-spatial models within GIS can help to evaluate different planning scenarios (Despotakis et al, 1993). The use of GIS with multi-criteria decision analysis can provide the technical inputs in the selection of planning options. 

Plan implementation

GIS can be used in the implementation of urban plans by carrying out environmental impact assessment of proposed projects to evaluate and minimize the impact of development on the environment (Schuller, 1992). Following such work, remedial measures can be recommended to alleviate the impacts. 

Plan evaluation, monitoring, and feedback

When used together with remote sensing, GIS can help to monitor the environment. It can, for example, be used to monitor land use changes (Yeh and Li, 1993). It can also examine whether land development is following the land use plan of the region, by overlaying a land development map produced from the analysis of remote sensing images on the land use plan. In addition, GIS can be used to evaluate the impact of development on the environment to see whether adjustments of the plan are needed. GIS can also be used in the monitoring and programming of land development. 

Therefore, GIS is not only an urban planning tool but when integrated with Remote Sensing, it is a crucial tool in other fields like communication, research, security, transport.

Read also: Natural Resource Management

REFERENCES

Barnett, J. (1982). An Introduction to Urban Design. New York: Harper and Row Publishers Inc.

Burrough, P. A. (1986). Principles of Geographical Information Systems for Land Resource Assessment. Oxford: Clarenden Press.

Department of Environment. (1987). Handling Geographical Information Report of the Committee of Inquiry. London: HMSO.

Shamsi, U. M. (2005). GIS Application for Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Systems. Florida: CRC Press

Jain, M. (2009). GIS and remote Sensing Techniques: A Case Study of Developing Urban Center. New Delhi: Himanshu Publications.

Han, S. Y. and Kim, T. J. (1989). Intelligent Urban Information System. U.S.A: American Planners Association.

Barnsley, M. J. (1993). Monitoring Urban Land Use in the EC from Satellite. Europe: Sensor Image.

Li, X. and Yeh A. (1993). Analyzing Spatial Restructuring of Land Use Patterns. Hong Kong: Glob Environ Chang.

Armstrong, M. P. et al. (1992). Cartography and Geographic Information Systems. U.S.A: Cluwer.

Longley, P. et al. (1994). The Predictive Use of GIS to Model Property Valuations. New York: International Journal of Geographical Information Systems.

Despotakis, V. K. (1993). Dynamic GIS Models for Regional Sustainable Development. Berlin: Springer.

Schuler, T. R. (1994). The Importance of Imperviousness: Watershed Protection Techniques. Maryland: American Photogrammetry Ltd.