A Graduate Report On Principles For Site Planning Process

CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

2.0 PRINCIPLES OF SITE SELECTION

3.0 NEED FOR SITE PLANNING

4.0 SELECTION OF AN IDEAL SITE

4.1 Site Selection for Residential Buildings

4.2 Site Selection for Commercial Buildings
4.3 Site Selection for Industrial and Office Buildings

5.0 SITE PLANNING OF RESIDENTIAL SITE

5.1 Building Siting and Orientation

5.2 Neighborhood Identity
5.3 Open Space
5.4 Setbacks for Single-Family Development
5.5 Parking Guideline

REFERENCES

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 A Graduate Report On Principles For Site Planning Process

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Site planning is a design tool used to determine an appropriate development outcome,
based on an analysis of the development site’s constraints. The opportunities and
constraints inherent to a site and the response to a program/design brief are analysed and
documented in an overall site planning document that should accompany a development
application.

Good site planning therefore starts with a comprehensive analysis of the site, within the
immediate and regional context. The “whole of site” approach encompasses broader
decisions regarding building orientation/ placement on site, including location of
associated structures and infrastructure such as access and circulation arrangements.

Clearly, the complexity of the site planning process will vary with the scale and nature of
the proposed development, and the constraints existing on the site. Minor development
may only require a site plan and a simple accompanying statement, whereas development
is of a scale/nature or where the site is highly constrained may result in more detailed
plans and supporting technical reports being submitted with the development application.

Site planning is the art of arranging structures on the land and shaping the spaces between,
an art linked to architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and city planning.

Site planning in architecture and landscape architecture refers to the organisational stage
of the landscape design process. It involves the organisation of land use zoning, access,
circulation, privacy, security, shelter, land drainage, paintballing and other factors. This is
done by arranging the compositional elements of landform, planting, water, buildings and
paving and building zoos Roads and buildings, even gardens, do not grow by themselves.
They are shaped by someone’s planning. The main purpose of this graduate report is to
understand the principles for site planning for residential.

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2.0 PRINCIPLES OF SITE SELECTION:

Site selection has an important bearing on planning and designing of building. Generally
therefore, an architect has either to make a choice of suitable site or to plan his building
structure to suit the available site. Natural defects of a site will involve considerable
expenditure on construction and maintenance of the building. While unsatisfactory
conditions in the neighbourhood of locality will cause unhappy living conditions on one
hand and possible deterioration of the value of property on the other. However, the
following general principled or factors should be borne well in mind in the selection of a
site:
1. The site should be selected keeping in view the general scope or the purpose of
building and on the basis of extent of privacy desired.
2. The site should be situated in locality which is already fully developed or which is
fast developing. To secure happy living conditions, generally such a
neighbourhood is preferred where the neighbours belong to an equal status in
society and who should be social and friendly.
3. The plot should be in a locality where the various facilities like:-
(a) Community Services such as police and fire protection, clearing of waste and
street cleaning;
(b) Utility Services such as water supply, gas, electricity, and drainage;
(c) Amenities such as schools, hospitals, libraries, recreation, telephone, etc:
(d) Shopping facilities, and
(e) Means of transport; are available.
4. A site which comes within the limits of an area where the by-laws of the local
authority enforce restrictions regarding proportions of plots to be built up, vacant
spaces to be left in front and sides, heights of building etc., should be preferred.
5. Area of the plot of land should be such that the house constructed, keeping in view
the restrictions of the local authority, would meet the requirements of the owner,
preferably with possibilities of future extensions. The site should not be irregular in
shape or having any sharp corners.
6. The site should be situated on an elevated place and also leveled with uniform
slopes from one end to the other so as to provide good and quick drainage of rain
water.
7. The soil surface of the site should be good enough to provide economical
foundations for the intended building without causing any problems. Generally, for

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most satisfactory constructions, the site should have rock, sand or firm soil below 60
to 120 cm layer of light soil or even black cotton soil.
8. The situation of the site should be such as to ensure unobstructed natural light and
air.
9. The site should be available in a locality where natural beauty and man-made
environments create healthy living and working conditions.
10. The site should have a good landscape but away from quarries, kilns, factories,
etc.
11. Besides these factors, the legal and financial aspects, which dictate upon
ownership rights and the costs, should be given due consideration before the
purchase of a plot.
12. A site should be abandoned under a adverse circumstances such as
(a) Unhealthy, noisy or crowded localities;
(b) Immediate neighbourhood of rivers carrying heavy floods, badly maintained
drains, and Nallahs;
(c) Reclaimed soil or water logged areas subject to submergence or settlement; and
(d) Industrial vicinity having smoke and obnoxious odours.

3.0 NEED FOR SITE PLANNING

Undertaking a thorough site analysis of the site assists in:

 Guiding the development concept,
 Improving development outcomes through improvements in sustainability and
design quality.
Undertaking a rigorous site analysis therefore must be one the first steps in addressing the
controls set out. Adopting good site planning principles results in improved development
outcomes that is translated to:
 Economic sustainability and cost benefits - A considered site design will reduce
demolition, construction and operation costs of buildings;
 Social Sustainability - Addressing the needs of the local community will provide
improved quality of life, local vitality and enhance community identity;

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 Environmental Sustainability - Ensuring the proposal minimizes impact or even

enhances environmental impacts; and
 Better Planning and Urban Design Outcomes - Achieving a development that
integrates with the desired surrounding built form and landscape character.

4.0 SELECTION OF AN IDEAL SITE.

Selection of site for any building is a very important and experts job and should be done
very very carefully by an experienced engineer. The requirements of site for buildings
with different occupancies are different. So all the buildings proposed for different
purposes have different requirements and thus different considerations for their site
selection.

4.1 Site Selection for Residential Buildings

Following are some of the important factors which should be considered while selecting
site for any residence.
1. The site should be in fully developed area or in the area which has potential of
development.
2. The site should command a good view of landscape such a hill, river, lake, etc.
3. There should be good transport facilities such as railway, bus service, for going to
office, college, market, etc.
4. Civic services such as water supply, drainage sewers, electric lines, telephone
lines, etc. should be very near to the selected site so as to obtain their services with
no extra cost.
5. Soil at site should not be of made up type as far as possible. The buildings
constructed over such soils normally undergo differential settlement and
sometimes become the cause of collapse. Cracks in buildings in such conditions,
are quite common
6. The selected site should be large enough; both to ensure the building abundant
light and air to prevent any over dominance by the neighbouring buildings.
7. The ground water table at the site should not be very high.
8. Nearness of schools, hospitals, market, etc. are considered good for residential site
but these facilities do not carry any significance in the selection site for other
public buildings.

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9. Good foundation soil should be available at responsible depth. This aspect saves
quite a bit in the cost of the building.
10. Residential house site should be located away from the busy commercial roads.
11. Residential site should not be located near workshops, factories, because such
locations are subjected to continuous noise.
12. Orientation of the site also has some bearing on its selection. Site should be such in
our country that early morning sun and late evening sun is accepted in the building
in summer and maximum sun light is available in most of winter.

4.2 Site Selection for Commercial Buildings

Following are some of the important factors which should be considered while selecting
site for any commercial site.

1. Buildings such as municipality should be located near the main business area of the
town.
2. Building such as public libraries, museums should be located on the public square
and road should cross through it.
3. Building such as town-halls, assembly halls should be located at the focus of the
main roads and should be accessible from different parts of the town. They should
also have adequate parking space around them.
4. Monumental building should be located at the summit to face the natural features
like river or sea so as to produce a picturesque effect.
5. Schools and small educational institutes should be located near the residential areas
and away main arterial roads and free from noise, bustle of traffic.
6. Hospitals, Sanatoria should be located away from the town-centre and be free from
noise, bustle etc.
7. Colleges and university campus should be located on the outskirts of the city in
calm and peaceful surroundings, and approached by wide tree-like avenues.

4.3 Site Selection for Industrial and Office Buildings

Following are some of the important factors which should be considered while selecting
site for any industry.
1. Ample amount of electricity needed to run the plant should be available without
any interruption.

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2. Selection of site for industry has to be set up in industrial zone only. However,
conditions like proximity of village or town, availability of labour, availability of
residential accommodation for labour.
3. The site should be well developed and services like, road, water, drainage.
Telephone should be available.
4. Site should be located at arterial road so that easy transport is available for labour
as well as for raw materials and finished products.
5. Adequate land should be available so that all the units from entrance of raw
material to dispatch of finished product are conveniently accommodated.
6. Space should be available for circulatory routes round the site and through the site
so that transport could reach easily to the point of delivery of raw material and
loading of finished product.
7. Favorable topographic conditions such as level, firm soil.
8. Availability of sufficient land not only for the present requirement but also for
future expansion.
9. Facilities to dispose of waste products by any of streams etc.

5.0 SITE PLANNING OF RESIDENTIAL SITE.

The guidelines in this section are to assist in the appropriate siting of buildings in the
residential areas of the City. These guidelines are intended to promote a superior
appearance for both single family and multiple-family residential development.
5.1 Building Siting and Orientation
5.1.1 Natural Site Features
Residential layout should preserve existing
natural site features such as topography,
Views and vegetation to enhance the
character of the development. Public
Views of such features should be preserved
and incorporated into development
Proposals.
5.1.2 Topography
Livermore’s topography is generally flat. Therefore, it is important that sites that have
some topographical features not be graded flat, but takes advantage of the topographic

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variation. In hillside or sloping areas, street and building placement should follow
contours rather than being placed at right angles to the prevailing slope.
On sloping sites, staggering placement of units along opposite sides of the street,
rather than sitting lots directly opposite one another, can provide better preservation of
views.

5.2 Neighborhood Identity

5.2.1 Neighborhood Context
New residential development should provide variety in the City’s residential
development character than currently exists. New development should not be so
different in character that it is visually incompatible with existing development.
Elements that can contribute to the creation of a distinct image include the
architecture, street layout and design, landscaping, integration of open space and entry
treatment. New neighborhoods should not try to separate themselves with entry
features, but should try to blend seamlessly into the existing “fabric of the city”.
Building design should complement surrounding development. In areas that possess
strong existing development character, the building design should respect the
predominant characteristics of neighborhood

development, such as height, massing, setbacks, materials and architectural style.

5.2.2 Sidewalk Design
Planting strips between the sidewalk and the back of the curb are strongly encouraged.
They should be a minimum of 5 feet in width.
5.3 Open Space
5.3.1 General Open Space Guidelines
The guidelines in this section apply to all residential development.
Neighborhood open space should be located to maximize its visual and functional
benefits. Common open space areas should be sited to take advantage of any views
out from the site and help preserve views to significant architectural and landscape

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features within the site. Neighborhood open space should also tie into citywide open
space systems including public parks, the arroyos, and bicycle, pedestrian and
equestrian pathways. Open space areas should be used to visually unify a
development, link development clusters and provide enhanced pedestrian circulation
within the development.
5.3.2 Multi-Family Open Space Guidelines
In multi-family residential developments common
open space areas should be readily accessible from all
buildings with the maximum number of units possible
sited adjacent to the common open space areas. In
addition to the common open space areas, projects
should be encouraged to provide each unit with usable
private open space. These private spaces should be
directly accessible from the unit and large enough to permit outdoor living activities.
The location of all open space areas should take into account climatic factors such as
sun orientation and prevailing winds.
5.4 Setbacks for Single-Family Development
5.4.1 Setbacks
The guidelines in this section apply specifically to single-family residential
development. Front yard setbacks should be varied from unit to unit to avoid long
repetitious development patterns. As a rule, these setback variations need to be at least
three feet to be effective. Variations in side yard setbacks can also be used to break up
long, linear patterns. Overly large front setbacks are discouraged.
5.4.2 Small-Lot Development
The guidelines in this section apply
specifically to small-lot single-family
residential development, for which lots
are typically less than 4,500 square feet.
Building entries shall be located on the
front façade and directly access a
sidewalk. Since setbacks are typically reduced in small-lot subdivisions, additional
care should be taken to break up the bulk and massing of the homes. To facilitate
development of small-lot single-family homes, implementation of rear alleys should be
considered for accessing garages, off-street parking, utilities and trash facilities.

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5.5 Parking Guidelines

5.5.1 Single-Family Parking
Garages should be set back at least 20 feet from
the front property line. Garages should be set
back a minimum of 5 feet from the primary
front façade of the residence. Design that
minimizes views of garages is encouraged and
should utilize side and rear entry garages as
well as detached garages.

5.5.2 Multiple-Family Parking

The guidelines in this section apply specifically
to multi-family residential development.
Whenever possible, parking lots should be located behind residential structures, rather
than along the primary frontage, to minimize
visual impact to the street. Parking lots must be
recessed behind the front wall of the building.
Where individual garages are incorporated into
projects, common driveways, private streets or
alley-loaded access is encouraged. The design
of these structures should relate to the primary
building. Within the site, access drives should
provide sufficient length to permit vehicle stacking during hours of peak use, without
impacting circulation within the parking lot or on the fronting public street. Flat roofed
carports are discouraged.

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REFERENCES.
1. Gallion Arthur B. and Eisner Simon, (1990), “The urban pattern”, CBS Publishers
and Distributers, Delhi.
2. Hiraskar G. K., (1990), “Fundamental of Town Planning”, Dhanpatrai Publications
(P) LTD. New Delhi.
3. Sane Yashwant S, (1959), “Planning and Designing Building”, Shri Sundar Dass for
modern Publishing house, Bombay.
4. Arora S.P. and Dr.bindra S.P., (2005), “A text book of building construction’’,
Dhanpatrai Publications (P) LTD. New Delhi.
5. Rangwala S.C., Rangwala K.S., Rangwala P.S., “Town Planning’’, Charoter
publishing house pvt. Ltd. Anand, Gujarat.
6. Alexander Garvin (1994), “The site plan process’’, Dinwiddie country, virgina.
7. Unified facilities criteria (UFC-2004), “area planning, site planning and design’’,
U.S.Army engineering division, Washington.
8. "Litman todd ( 2009 ), “ planning principles and practices”, ( www.vtpi.org )
9. “County of Santa Barbara planning and development” (2006).
(http://rapidlibrary.com/adv.php?q=santa barbar + planning and development)
http://en.wikipedia.org

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