The key to success in any district, urban or rural, is in the efficiency of the town planning services a community hires. When working on a project, a Queensland town planner will always picture out what daily activity looks like for the people in that community. Would it be a business district, where people are constantly out and about? Or would it be a residential town where people want to feel safe and comfortable?  

 

When people can move around a space with ease, whether on foot or in a vehicle, their daily life just happens in an orderly, natural fashion. This feeling of ease is what keeps citizens or residents motivated, happy, productive, and generally at peace. Such is the ultimate goal of Brisbane town planning firms: to make life easier for everyone in the communities they work on. In this article, learn the importance of town planning.  

 

First, what is town planning?  

 

Town planning is exactly as it sounds: experts coordinate with land developers or even local governments to design the arrangement of buildings, roads and sidewalks, open or public spaces, and residential structures such that they all exist harmoniously in one vast space. The goal of town planning is to make sufficient room for everything: from foot traffic to bicycle lanes, work and leisure, dining and shopping, transportation (both on and below ground), and more.  

​

Importance of Town Planning Services 

​

Compliance with zoning laws 

 

Zoning regulations are what keeps a community organized. Here’s an example. Development applications for Brisbane’s residential zones will only be approved for projects like subdivisions, townhouses, and the like. If a developer requests to build a nightclub in or near a residential area, that will not be approved, as the noise blasting from inside that club will disturb the residents. Worse, an application to build structures like factories or mines near a residential area should ideally not be approved, as that will threaten the health of the residents, especially children.  

 

Zoning laws help maintain areas’ purpose. An area must always serve the purpose it was built for, and governments, as well as developers, should be interested to keep it that way. This is so that people’s quality of life doesn’t get disturbed regardless of where they are situated at a given time. Town planners must see to it that harmony manifests in the urban design of Brisbane’s many areas or districts. 

​

Creation of sufficient space 

 

Ask any consulting surveyor in Queensland about space and they will tell you that for space to be properly appreciated, space must not just be used, it must be maximised. No matter how small or big an area is, it must be spacious; people must feel that they are free to roam within that space. Whether that space is indoors or outdoors, it must look and feel as spacious as possible. When an area is cramped, people are likely to feel suffocated and uneasy, and history shows that this results to unproductivity and dismay in the population.  

 

This is why town planners and consulting land surveyors agree that a well-planned town is one that has plenty of open spaces. Wide sidewalks and alleys, open public spaces, and other ways to create space are becoming more and more popular concepts these days, and towns that are yet to be built or renovated are moving towards the creation of sufficient space.  

 

Making mobility a priority 

 

What drives productivity and development in an area is not only manpower or commerce. Most of the time, productivity and development are greatly affected by the one aspect of town planning that allows a town to stay active in the first place: transportation. A well-planned community would have a reliable road traffic system for private and public vehicles. It would have an impressive metro rail system. It would have dedicated bicycle lanes and safe sidewalks so people have more options in terms of how they want to be mobile within their community.  

 

The easier it is to get around, the faster people get to work, school, retail stores, lifestyle districts, and more. It’s transportation that keeps a city bustling with activity. Good town planners make this their priority.  

 

Building a community in harmony with the environment 

 

Communities must be built according to its existing environmental makeup. The best communities flow along with nature instead of against it. Today’s town planners understand the necessity of environmental preservation in any type of community, whether urban or rural. This is why one can see many trees, plants, parks, and even natural waterforms in many impressive urban spaces. The best rural spaces also enjoy the same one-with-nature type of design.  

 

Taking this a notch higher, town planners are extra meticulous on the environmental aspect of their design when it comes to communities with special environmental circumstances, such as coastal communities. Coastal communities have to be built in a way that protects them from rising sea levels, typhoons, and the like. Reclamation activities should also be performed in an environmentally sound process: it must not erode the seabed or destroy natural marine resources. If town planning isn’t carried out well in communities like these, these communities may suffer in the long run.  

 

Create space that encourages a balanced lifestyle 

 

Local governments are interested in creating a balanced lifestyle for their citizens. If they are busy and productive at work or school, there must also be spaces where they can unwind, relax, or do self-care activities. This is why the best business districts will have easily accessible parks where people can exercise or spend quality time with their friends and family. Similarly, residential areas will have easy access to lifestyle or shopping districts. Towns that are family-friendly are those where schools are in close proximity with subdivisions; towns that are yuppie-friendly are those that offer a wide array of affordable living options such as apartment buildings.  

 

A well-planned town is where all aspects of a person’s life is easy to enjoy. If their access to these many different purpose-built spaces is a breeze, they’re likelier to have a higher quality of life. High quality of life is the ultimate success of town planning.  

 

Want to experience the benefits of professional town planning?  

 

If you want to hire expert town planning services for your next development project, call JDA Consultants today. Reach us at (07) 3252-3777 email us at jdass@jdaconsultants.com.au. We are located at 50 Prospect Street, Fortitude Valley. We’re available from Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  

​