NATURAL FACTORS • Ability of soil to

transfer gravity water

- GEOLOGY
downwards
o Natural science that studies earth
• Non-conduciveness of
- GEOMORPHOLOGY
soil to long periods of
o Branch of geology, deals with the
saturation
origin, nature and distribution of
• Infiltration
landforms
▪ COMPOSITION: • Permeability (cm/hr)
▪ POOR DRAINAGE:
• Mineral Particles
• Condition of soil that
• Organic Matter
is frequently or
• Water
permanently
• Air
saturated and may
▪ TEXTURE:
often have standing
• particles in a soil
water on it
sample
• Local accumulation of
▪ SLOPE FORMS:
surface water
• Straight
• Rise in the level of
• S-shaped
groundwater
• Concave - VEGETATION
• Convex o CLIMATIC CONTROL
▪ TOPOGRAPHY AND SLOPES: ▪ Reduce solar radiation
• Pattern of Landforms ▪ Buffers wind
• Contour Analysis ▪ Intercepts precipitation
• Circulation Analysis o ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
• Visibility Analysis ▪ Assists in air purification
• Unique Features ▪ Absorbs noise
▪ SOIL EROSION FACTORS: ▪ Reduces glare and reflection
• Vegetation ▪ Helps in erosion control
• Soil type o ARCHITECTURAL AND AESTHETIC
• Slope size and USE
inclination ▪ Assists in defining space
• Frequency and ▪ Efficient in view control
intensity of rainfall ▪ Affects people’s mood
- HYDROLOGY - WILD LIFE
▪ Existing water bodies o Relates closely to the habitats
• (location, variation, provided by plant communities
purity) - CLIMATE
▪ Natural and man-made o COLD
drainage channel o TEMPERATE
• (flow capacity, purity) o HOT ARID/ HOT HUMID
▪ Surface drainage pattern ▪ Regional data
• (Amount, blockages, ▪ Local microclimates
undrained ▪ Sound level, smell,
depressions) atmosphere quality
o DRAINAGE o SOLAR ORIENTATION
▪ GOOD DRAINAGE: o BEST-FACING SLOPES
o WIND FLOWS
CULTURAL FACTORS o Number of people per sqkm or
- EXISTING LAND USE PLAN hectare
o Most rational use of land in relation o Number of families per block
to the natural and socio-economic o Number of house per sqkm or
factors, and in accordance with hectare
compatibility with adjacent land o Amount of building floor area per
uses section
- DENSITY o Automobile population, floor area
o Population per unit land area ratio
o Determines whether existing utilities - FLOOR AREA RATION
and land areas will be sufficient to o Proportion between the built area
sustain additional future and the lot area
developments
o Influences the privacy, social contact
among people. And freedom of
movement of an individual or group
of people
- ZONING, REGULATIONS, LAWS AND CODES

YELLOW BUILT-UP AREAS

Cluster at least 10 - TRAFFIC AND TRANSIT SYSTEMS
structures or if activity o Study on the relationship of the
occupies at least traffic pattern to each other and to
10,000 sqm. the site for adequacy of access and
LIGHT GREEN AGRICULTURE efficiency in circulation within and
Annual cropland or outside of the site
Riceland o UTILITIES/SERVICES
Permanent cropland ▪ Determining the existing
Diversified cropland availability of utilities on site
LIGHT VIOLET AGRO-INDUSTRIAL in terms of adequacy and
Piggery efficiency, includes:
Poultry • Sanitary/sewage
DARK GREEN FOREST system
Production forest • Electric power supply
Wild life sanctuaries • Water supply
Watershed • Drainage
reservations • Telecommunication
Natural parks o FLOW AND CHANNEL TYPES
BROWN MINING/QUARRYING ▪ Most critical channel is the
Mineral extractions vehicular rights-of-way
AQUA SWAMPLAND- because other channels tend
MARSHES to follow this pattern
OTHER USE ANY COLOR ▪ Among the utilities, the
CATEGORIES water supply is likely to be
the most critical at the
DENSITY FORMULA community scale
- Number of inhabitants with respect to ▪ Circulation systems must be
physical size considered not only for the
 way in which they handle • (-) difficult in terms of
their assigned flows but for wayfinding
their influence on o CHARACTERISTICS OF DEFINED
surrounding activities CHANNEL
o CHANNEL PATTERNS ▪ Alignment
▪ LINEAR PATTERNS: ▪ Grain
• (+) useful where ▪ Use of superblocks
major flow runs ▪ Hierarchies of channel
between 2 points ▪ Capacity of the channel to
• (+) used when road avoid bottlenecks
costs are relatively o TECHNIQUES FOR STREETS AND
high WAYS
• (-) in danger of ▪ CROSS SECTION OF RROW
lacking in focus and • Vary RROW width to
overcrowding of the emphasize hierarchy
channel of roads
▪ RADIAL PATTERNS: ▪ HORIZONTAL CURVES
• (+) appropriate for • Provide treatments at
flows with common corners, intersections,
origin, interchange, or and deadends to
destination since control traffic flow
channels spread out ▪ PARKING LOT
from a center • The location and
• (+) most direct line treatment done in
travel parking lots greatly
• (-) problematic affect the mood or
central terminus due ambiance of a place
to high traffic volume ▪ TRAFFIC FLOW
▪ GRID PATTERNS: • Use of traffic signals,
• (+) useful where flows channelization,
are shifting and rotaries, grade
broadly distributed separation, cloverleaf,
• (+/-) visual monotony etc.
and lack f ▪ VERTICAL TREATMENT
differentiation • Treatment of inclines
between heavily and for vehicles
lightly travelled ways - SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
• (-) disregard of o Considerations on whether there
topography is a need, an interest, or any
• (-) vulnerability to objections on
through traffic the project
o Any project must be compatible
▪ DISORDER PATTERNS:
with the economy of the particular
• (+) discourage
community
through movements o The social structure of the
to adjust to community must be taken into
topography consideration to
• (+) more interesting ensure than the proposed
development will not result in any
 displaced
families, and any major disruption
in their businesses and other
activities
o HISTORIC FACTORS:
▪ Legal considerations when
planning in historically-
related setting or structures
o BEHAVIOR DIAGRAMS:
▪ Activity occurring in a given
space at a given time
▪ Allow for multiple behavior
setting in 1 venue occurring
at different times

AESTHETIC FACTORS
- NATURAL FEATURES:
o When sites are characterized by
outstanding natural features of
earth, rock, water or plant material,
these may be incorporated in the
site development as natural assets
of the land
- SPATIAL PATTERN
o The way an open space of a given
site is configured according to an
arrangement of elements that evoke
activity or flow, both physically or
visually
- VISUAL RESOURCES
o VIEW
▪ A scene observed from a
vantage point
▪ Can be a theme that may
suggest and add meaning to
buildings
▪ The full view is not always
best view
o VISTA
▪ A confined view, usually
directed towards a terminal
or dominant feature
▪ Comprised of (1) a viewing
station, (2) a view, (3)
foreground
▪ A view is usually better if
seen through an appropriate
screen