City planning and economic development
City planning and economic development cannot, in any case, be treated differently since they are connected integrally. Well planned cities have the benefit of attracting economic benefits more than their unplanned counterparts. (Giles-Corti et al. 2016) City leaders, therefore, work best under a well-planned system and may seem ineffective in an unplanned city. City planning has economic benefits and is, in most cases, guided by the moral and political conditions present at that particular point in time. Anniston, Alabama, is one of the city the cities that had a reduced plan. Upon growth, the city could not accommodate the changes and therefore needed intervention to help it change some of its systems. Below are some of the economic considerations, in line with Anniston’s reduced city plan and the financial repercussions.
As a result of the poor city plan, the city faced many challenges, including environmental problems, social unrest, deindustrialization, and housing problems. A city plan outlines the areas where industries and other firms could best fit. The decided places are at the convenience of all city dwellers. Safety, accessibility, employment, and housing are significant points of consideration here. Firms that produce toxic byproducts are to be located far away from the residential or areas of high population density, to lessen any chances of effects of the byproducts on the public. In Anniston, the chalk line mill was located inappropriately, inconsiderate of the safety of the people. The lack of planning meant that the city structures by then didn’t consider any chances of expansion and that demolition was a compulsory thing in the future. The economic implication of the environmental degradation caused by the production activities is the high costs required in reclaiming the already adversely affected land. This is the case that happened with the chalk line Textile Company that had already polluted the soil on which the industry was established. The cost of reclaiming the land totaled to $350,000, a value that could have been evaded through appropriate laws and policies guiding the operations of industries in Anniston city. Aniston has spent a lot of in initiating the new city plan and attaining a green surrounding. This revenue could have been invested in revenue-generating activity if the city could have been planned from the start.
The company was established in 1887 and stopped to operate in 1994, due to economic forces and most probably due to lack of adequate market. The laws were also against its operations since it was deemed to have very adverse effects on the health of the people around it and those who worked in it. After the demolition of the structure, it was discovered that were unwanted toxic substances therein, including asbestos, lead, and arsenic. This indicates how the operations of the firm were dangerous to the health of the public in general. Environmental disasters such as the one that ought to happen in the case where toxic products are disposed in an inappropriate way like the chalk line industry is an impact of lack of a plan or poor city plan.
Companies and industries are closing down day by day, due to changes in the city structure and plan. For instance, new projects come in that necessitates some activities to be carried out in specific segments of the city as opposed to others due to consideration of the factors outlined above. (Govil, S. K., & Rashmi, J. 2013). This necessitates shifting their locations, or other laws that are against the requirements by law. The new policies and regulations in the city have led to the closure of many industries in many cities, Alabama is a perfect example. (Taylor, D. 2014)Considering the economic implication that this closure of companies and significant businesses has on the economy, we get to understand that it gives considerable blows to the economy. For instance, the number of workers in those companies who lose their jobs is tremendous, and their economic living conditions ought to deteriorate. Their contributions to the economy as active players become extinct. They are likely to become a burden to the government and other workers for their providence. The GDP per capita of the country decreases with a decrease in individuals incomes. Families suffer economically, especially is the worker was the sole provider, and thus it is clear that deindustrialization results in tremendous economic loss.
Industries are vital players in the economy in terms of revenue generation, to the government. The government gets plenty of revenue from these industries, which it uses to finance projects in the city. Therefore with the closure of these industries, the government is limited financially, and the number of projects that it can fund with this limited revenues raised from fewer industries. (Barron, M. 2017)City-planning includes housing taking into consideration city dwellers with different incomes. Lack of planning, therefore, makes city dwellers, especially those with low incomes vulnerable since the accommodation may be accommodating high income and medium earners only and thus unaffordable to low-income earners. Significant house rent translates to small savings and low investments and therefore, poor economic conditions of the city dwellers.
Poor city challenges raise the issues and blame games where the city dwellers may keep on protesting and demanding better standards that could not be affordable. For instance, closure of industries results in loss of employment and low standards of living. Poor working conditions and pollutions in the environment are also an element that raises social concerns. (Beck, T. 2012). These conditions are caused mainly by a lack of city planning and, therefore, could be avoided via the initiation of the planned system. The introduction of this planned system is expensive for both the private and public sectors of the economy. During the protests and social unrest, damage may take place in both public and private property, a drawback to the economy of the city. At the same time, the worker is engaged and preoccupied with protests, and therefore they are not working as usual. This translates to slow economic progress and, ultimately, financial loss on both the workers and the industries, then eventually the economy at large.
Planning at the initial stage is cheaper as compared to the planning at the later dates, with the city already in place. Considering that the city like Anniston has structures already in place is a crucial factor. The plan doesn’t favor the old structures that are already in pace and thus calls for their demolition, the same case that happened with Chalk line. (Govil et al. 2013) The act of shifting these already established industries to new places that are in line with the latest city plan calls for compensation from the government, and also from the firm itself. The new establishments could be different in terms of infrastructure and accessibility by workers and suppliers the product movement to the market faced by difficulties. It can, therefore, be concluded precisely that, changes in the city plan, or otherwise initiation of a city plan to a city that initially didn’t have a plan inconvenience the production of the company, hence the economic conditions of both the industry and the employees.
Local city planning aims at achieving sustainability and better economic condition. Globalization of the economy requires a planned city with all the conditions necessary for economic progress. The city needs a plan and state where the infrastructure is capable of handling the international market and all its requirements. (Olds, A. S. 2013). Therefore without a proper city plan, globalization would be impossible. Production for the world market requires the setting of these industries in a well-facilitated area, with capacity for expansion and the essential waste disposal capacity. In Alabama, before the restructuring of the city plan, almost all the sectors of the city, ranging from the industrial areas, the business district and residential areas were located nearby, and the chances of expansion of these industries were limited.
The concern for the wellbeing of the workforce is also a significant concern in planning. A city that is well planned has considerations for the safety of the workers, and therefore some locations set favorable standards for the workers. (Schwartz, A. F. 2014). All industries producing a common commodity are better when concentrated in one area. This way, it becomes easier for all firms and related industries to cooperate in several ways. It is economically beneficial to place then under the same location since they can join hands in handling their waste and disposing of them effectively. The rate at which the waste products are spread in the city is reduced since the industries are not all over the place but rather in a centralized location. Some industries are related in many ways; some consume other’s byproducts, and therefore, planning a central placement of these related industries in the same area means that the transport cost of these byproducts to the different sectors to the next to be used as raw materials is cut down. This saves the revenue that is, in turn, used for alternative uses.
Planning creates room for foreign investment within a city. Foreign investment is instead a beneficial and efficient booster of the economy. Countries are willing to get into economic integration with countries with a well-planned economy. Since, in most cases, the economy of many countries, especially the developed ones, is dependent on the industries, well-planned cities are seen as an incentive. The pool of labor is created with this systematic planning of the city. One of the motivations of external investment is the availability of the labor force and, thus, city planning and is key to economic development.
Before any implementation of planning policy, the city planners and other stakeholders in city planning take time to assess the implications of the intervention to different parties in the community. The economic and social concerns are put on the table, and various options weighed out to determine the best. (Giles-Corti et al. 2016) Therefore planning is in line with the interests of most of the viable economic possibilities. For instance, the revitalization of the Anniston downtown community was not just undertaken without critical considerations. It was found out that there was new promise after the transformation from local postindustrial development into a modern multipurpose state with green space, public buildings, and a business district different from what was there before.
The revitalization, therefore, changed the condition form the dumped area with excellent health rick after the demolition of the Chalk line mill industry and made the environment friendly for the workers and the other people in the surrounding. (Zio, E., & Aven, T. 2013). The reclamation provided a green environment better for the industrial establishment and other purposes, such as public housing. City also set in place public buildings, making housing affordable to most city dwellers irrespective of their economic conditions. The safe working conditions, coupled with the affordable housing, serve as a key to the industrial development in this city. In this case, the worker in the industries grew, and the pool of labor became vast. More and more investments have since then risen both at the state level and at the individuals level. Employment opportunities available to these workers are also enormous, and thus an incentive to invest by both local and foreign companies. Business districts are also established, and business facilitated more, the business district, is the major economic region in the town, its revival translates to more business growth and more opportunities for employment and business. The government is in a better position to perform its duties, especially in development projects, since the revenue collected for the thriving businesses is vast and enough to facilitate these projects. The individual, on the other side, gets employment, gets good wages, and, therefore, can save and invest. Considering the economic conditions before and after the revitalization, it is evident that the economic benefits are more after the revival.
There are ethical and legal standards that are set for the concerned companies to follow in their execution of the economic objectives. Alongside other responsibilities, the city planners are tasked with the responsibility of deciding the laws governing any business operation in pursuit of economic progress and the ethical requirements to guide their services too. (BARRERA, S. E. 2016). These policymakers rely on the casual theories of the public, which is the moral dimension. For instance, the laws that are set on the requirements of the waste disposal ensure that industries carry out their operations ‘with considerations for the safety of the environment and those of the workers. There is a strict measure to ensure enforceability of these laws and ethical standards, including the non-governmental organizations. Therefore it is useful, and the safety of individuals is ensured. This fact serves as an incentive and driver of economic growth and development in most cities. Employees work free and effectively and compared to those cities with no city plans, and therefore the potential of human capital is high in these states of freedom.
The impact and extent to which city planning impacts the economy is dependent on several factors. Although many cities in the world are planned, their level of economic progress is not the same; some are high, while others are just getting by. The city planners utilize the casual theory to choose between among the available alternatives concerning policy responses. The local community role is critical in determining the success of a set policy. (Addy et al. 2012) City planning that incorporates the interests of the community and allows community members to contribute before resolving the final decision is likely to succeed. In this case, the community knows better about what affects them and, therefore, the areas that require attention. Due to the scarcity in resources, there is a need to make sure that the areas of resource allocation are specific, intending to get an appropriate response. Therefore with community participation in city planning, there is the minimization of wastage, and chances of misappropriation of economic resources are saved.
The knowledge of the critical policymakers is a determinant of the success of the project of city planning. The more knowledgeable, the more the likelihood of success of the plan. Better knowledge by the city planners and their experience in the field increases the rationality of the decisions that are taken. (Fiss, P. C. 2011). City planners in Alabama had experience gained for the other cities and copied the trend. It was evident to them, after comparing Anniston to other developed cities, that the problem rested in the unplanned system, and this necessitates the response. The decisions made are rational and in line with the requirement of economic conditions of the day. The economic growth and development in Alabama are therefore contributed to by the rationale of the decisions made by the city planners.
The quality of the development plan should encompass all the elements in the economy for it to be effective. A development plan that omits some of the features is said to be of low quality. Knowledge of all the sectors of interest in the economy means that the possible leaks and strengths are identified, and the shortcoming are dealt with, and the advantages are upheld. (Boonstra, B., & Boelens, L. 2011). Public participation is critical in identifying the strengths and shortcomings at any given point in time. Without federal involvement, there are high chances that the level of satisfaction from the intervention might be low and compared to that, which includes public views concerning the sectors that need revitalization. Economic resources are therefore used in according to the needs and chances of wastage eliminated.
References
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