Module No.

2 and 3

3. Planning Services

I. Site Planning
II. Subdivision Planning
III. Urban and Community Planning

ARCH 422: Professional Practice 3 - Global Practice and

Construction Management

Ar. Virginia T. Sy
Subject Instructor

Page 0 of 11
I. SITE PLANNING
It is the art and science of arranging the uses of portion of land. A plot plan is a type of
drawing used by architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and engineers which shows
existing and proposed conditions for a given area, typically a parcel of land which is to be
modified.

Basic components of Site Planning

a. container : site, land
b. content : structures like buildings and activity needs
Practicing Site Planners :
a. Landscape Architect
b. Architect
c. Engineer
d. Planner
Basic Information and Data in Site Planning ( Checklist ):

1. roads and street system ( existing and proposed )

2. land uses 7. park and open spaces
3. buildings 8. transportation lines
4. utilities 9. legal - existing laws and regulations

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 5. land assessment value 10. financing
6. population 11. environmental

Definition of terms :
1. Utilities - are water supply system, electricity, gas, drainage and sewer lines,
telephone, cctv and cable tv.
2. Population - is getting the data and population of persons per barangay.
3. Open Space - the breathing spaces or “ lungs “of the areas of development.
4. Transportation - the convenience of the people to move from one place to another
place to work, home , schools or other daily affairs
5. Existing Laws and Regulations - are building codes, subdivision rules and regulations,
land use and zoning regulations.
6. Financing - the implementation of Planners’ proposal and their sources of financing
rogrammed by authorities concerned ( local, provincial, national, etc.
7. Legal - are existing laws and regulations concern in the implementation of:
a. boundary line and survey - easement, ROW ( right of way )
b. deed of restrictions
c. existing land uses and buildings.
d. zoning (existing and proposed) :
- uses and special exceptions - height limits
- density - coverage
- setbacks

8. Roads and Street System - are major thoroughfares or freeways, primary, secondary
collectors, tertiary streets, and service drives.

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 Classification of Streets

expressway - are freeways over 40,000 trips

/day.
b. primary - arterial major roads usually have 25,000-40,000 trips/day.
c. collector - are secondary roads 10,000 – 25,000 trips / day.
d. local - are minor or tertiary streets less 1000 trips /day.

Function of Street
a. serve as framework
b. serve as traffic circulatory system
c. “ “ spaces between buildings
d. “ “ setting for buildings
e. “ “ access to abutting properties
f. “ “ space to accommodate overhead and underground utility lines.
9. Buildings - the sizes, shape and materials of building should indicate including its
condition relative to its location. Sizes of courtyard and building setbacks
are need to note the following:
a. conditions - like good, fair and poor
b. materials - like permanent and temporary temporary finishes or materials are
potential development.
10. Land use - is he showing of residential areas , commercial, industrial areas, and other type
of structures, open spaces, driveways, parks and playgrounds.

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 11. Environmental - these includes the following:
a. topography - consider slope analysis
b. drainage - includes proposed and existing development, drainage pattern,
areas of erosion.
c. hydrology - includes surface water, existing water courses, flood potentials, sub
surface (water table)
d. vegetation - are trees and ground cover
e. geology and soils - are subsoil and surface soil characteristics and depth.
f. climate - precipitation/annual rainfall, solar analysis, wind direction and
velocities.
Three (3) Scope of Visual Site Survey
1. determine the character of the surrounding landscape to respond aesthetically and
functionally.
2. evaluate the degree it enhance nature.
3. decide what natural areas are to be left alone to act as complements to site form

Characteristic of Site
1. Landform and nature:
Mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains are the four major types of land forms.
Tectonic plate movement under Earth can create landform by pushing up mountains and
hills.
- terrain : flat, gently rolling, hilly, mountainous, landscape
- features : are like mountain, cuff, peaks, rivers and lakes.
2. Local climate
- temperature - light - winds
- precipitation - sun

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 a. Shape: Linear, ring, star, radio centric, rectilinear, star

b. Linear b. radio centric c. rectilinear

4. Size and density

size : physical quantitative extent of a site
density : number of people/area, no. of house/area, no of buildings/area.
5. Pattern, grain and texture
- rectilinear block and street pattern
- curvilinear street blocks
- cul-de-sac
- mixtures of patterns
6. Open space : formal and informal

7. Routes : movements as principal determinants of site forms

- route within the site
- approach route and surface route
- local streets

8. District of site - the information found at an internet address provided by the District

II. SUBDIVISION PLANNING

Subdivision planning and designing is the application of the workable design principles
or parameters for a well-planned and self-sustaining environment.

A. Site Criteria for Subdivision Planning

1. Location - subdivision projects shall be located in residential zones appropriate for
residential uses.

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 2. Physical Suitability - the site shall be stable enough to accommodate foundation load
without excessive earthmoving, grading, or cutting and filling. It
must be
outside hazard prone areas like floods, landslide and those with
unstable soil.)

3. Accessibility - it must served by a road that is readily accessible to public

transportation lines.

B. Planning Consideration

1. Area Planning
a. must be safe for the occupants,
b. adequate, safe, efficient and integrative road circulation system servicing every lot.
c. judicious allocation of land uses for diversity and amenity.
d. preservation of site
e. proper siting or orientation of the lots
f. harmony with existing and proposed development of the vicinity.

Open Spaces - shall conform to the provisions of PD 1216.

Examples of open spaces

1. Streets - vehicular and pedestrian circulation, easement for utilities and provisions
for planting strips.
2. Walks - paved walks to the living units from streets parking areas and plays areas.
3. Parks and playground - spaces for recreational areas

2. Site Preservation
a. slope - finished grade shall have a desired slope to allow rain water to be
channeled into street drains.

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 b. Preservation of site assets - the preservation of good quality of soil for parks,
playgrounds and garden areas. ( DENR requirements).
c. ground cover - these are grass, shrubs, plants and other landscaping materials.

3. Easements - adequate easement shall be provided for, including loading and

unloading areas, and utilities.
4. Circulation - roads and streets system or depending on the classification of road .

5. Installation of street names and signs - local installation of street coincident

with construction of the street.

C. Design Parameters

1. Land allocation
For open market and medium cost subdivision projects with an area of one (1)
hectare or more, the percentage (%) allocation of land shall be as follows:
a. Saleable area - maximum of 70 % of the gross area
b. Non-saleable area - are open space minimum of 30% of the gross area.

2. Lot requirements
a. Lot layout - siting orientation of lots blending with existing and proposed
development in the vicinity
b. Minimum lot area - minimum lot area for different types of housing examples:

1. single detached
2. duplex
3. single attached
4. row house

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 c Lot Design:

1. shall be designed such that they are not bisected any political boundaries,
water courses, drainage ways, and utility lines.
2. It must have an independent access road.
3. Deep lots and irregularity shaped lots shall be avoided.
4. Lot shall be protected against risks

d. Lot frontage - refer to subdivision Law for types of housing / lot and the
required dimension of lot frontage.

2. Length of Block
Length of block - 400 meters
Block exceeding 250 meters – shall be provided with alley

4. Shelter Component - these are required minimum floor area.

5. Yard/Setback - minimum setback shall conform to PD 1096

6. Water Supply System - the public water supply system enough to meet the total
daily requirements of the population

6. Electrical and Power Supply System

Mandatory individual household connection to primary or alternate source of power

8. Sewage Disposal System

The sewage disposal system shall be any of the following
a. connection to the community sewer system
b. septic tanks

9. Drainage System - Drainage system of the subdivision shall conform to the

natural drainage pattern of the subdivision site and drain into appropriate
bodies or public drainage system.

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 10. Garbage disposal System

The subdivision shall have sanitary and efficient collection and disposal system,
whether independently or in conjunction with the municipality/city garbage collection
and disposal services.

III. URBAN AND COMMUNITY DESIGN

Community/ Town Planning - applied to the local level, example: a city or
municipality. It is the long term guide for the development of the local area
Urbanization - is the movement of the people from rural to urban areas accompanied
by the growth of the city in population and by non-demographic changes

Basic Features of Modern Urban and Regional Planning

1. Urban and regional planning is concerned primarily with public issues involving a
broadly defined group of clients with diverse interests.

2. It is a deliberate, self-conscious activity that usually involves persons trained

professionally as planners.

3. Its goals and objectives, as well as the means of achieving them, are often highly
uncertain.

4. Urban and regional planners themselves seldom make decisions, rather, by themselves
They layout major alternatives and recommendations for those elected
or appointed to make such decisions.

5. Urban and regional planners employ a variety of specialized tools and methods in
analyzing and presenting alternatives.

6. The result of the most planning activities are discernible only 5 to 20 years after the
decision has been made, making feedback and corrective measures difficult.

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Instructor: Architect Virginia T. Sy
 Rationale of Town Planning
1. To respond to problems of inequality, deprivation, and squalor caused by interplay of
free market of laissez faire forces and lack of social concern prevalent during the
Industrial Revolution and the 19th century.
2. To deal with problems arising with regard to the use of spaces or land occupied by an
increasingly mobile population that should lead to promoting livability.
3 To balance private needs and communal of collective demands.
4. To balance the interplay of physical and cultural elements in human habitations. E.g.
the interaction between environmental and economic concerns.
5. To direct and control the nature of the built environment in the interest of society as
a whole.

-End of Module 2 & 3-

Arch 422: Professional Practice 3 : Module 2 and 3 Page 11

Architect Virginia T. Sy