ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 49 Urban Planning Guide Revised Edition Prepared by the Task Committee to Prepare a Planning Guide of the Urban Planning and Development Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers Published by the American Society of Civil Engineers 345 East 47th Street New York, New York 10017-2398 ABSTRACT More than any other profession, civil engineers are con- cerned with infrastructure, the fabric of urban life. Planning for maintenance and expansion of the nation's infrastructure is the subject of this book. The focus of this manual is the practical use of planning tools to solve real life problems. It provides the reader with a broad overview of the planning process and what factors or issues are of particular concern. The first three chap- ters deal with planning and the planning process in general, describing the process that any planning study must follow from data collection to implementation. The rest of the book covers urban planning in specific areas including land use, housing, urban transportation, intercity highways, airports, railroads, ports, community services facilities, water resources, parks, wastewater management, solid wastes management, energy, environment, and capital improvement programs. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Urban planning guide. (ASCE manuals and reports on engineering practice; no. 49) Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. City planning. 2. City planning—United States. I. Ameri- can Society of Civil Engineers. Urban Planning and Develop- ment Division. Land Use Committee. Task Committee to Prepare a Planning Guide. II. Series. HT166.U742 1986 3071'2 86-17335 ISBN 0-87262-546-X The material presented in this publication has been pre- pared in accordance with generally recognized engineering principles and practices, and is for general information only. This information should not be used without first securing compe- tent advice with respect to its suitability for any general or spe- cific application. The contents of this publication are not intended to be and should not be construed to be a standard of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and are not intended for use as a reference in purchase specifications, contracts, regula- tions, statues, or any other legal document. No reference made in this publication to any specific method, product, process, or service constitutes or implies an endorsement, recommendation, or warranty thereof by ASCE. ASCE makes no representation or warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, concerning the accuracy, com- pleteness, suitability or utility of any information, apparatus, product, or process discussed in this publication, and assumes no liability therefor. Anyone utilizing this information assumes all liability arising from such use, including but not limited to infringement of any patent or patents. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Copyright © 1986 by the American Society of Civil Engineers, All Rights Reserved. Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 86-17335 ISBN 0-87262-546-X Manufactured in the United States of America. MANUALS AND REPORTS ON ENGINEERING PRACTICE (As developed by the ASCE Technical Procedures Committee, July 1930, and revised March 1935, February 1962, April 1982) A manual or report in this series consists of an orderly presentation of facts on a particular subject, supplemented by an analysis of limita- tions and applications of these facts. It contains information useful to the average engineer in his everyday work, rather than the findings that may be useful only occasionally or rarely. It is not in any sense a "standard," however; nor is it so elementary or so conclusive as to provide a "rule of thumb" for nonengineers. Furthermore, material in this series, in distinction from a paper (which expresses only one person's observations or opinions), is the work of a committee or group selected to assemble and express infor- mation on a specific topic. As often as practicable the committee is under the general direction of one or more of the Technical Divisions and Councils, and the product evolved has been subjected to review by the Executive Committee of that Division or Council. As a step in the process of this review, proposed manuscripts are often brought before the members of the Technical Divisions and Councils for comment, which may serve as the basis for improvement. When published, each work shows the names of the committees by which it was compiled and indicates clearly the several processes through which it has passed in review, in order that its merit may be definitely understood. In February 1962 (and revised in April, 1982) the Board of Direction voted to establish: A series entitled 'Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice,’ to include the Manuals published and authorized to date, future Manuals of Professional Practice, and Reports on Engineering Prac- tice. All such Manual or Report material of the Society would have been refereed in a manner approved by the Board Committee on Publications and would be bound, with applicable discussion, in books similar to past Manuals. Numbering would be consecutive and would be a continuation of present Manual numbers. In some cases of reports of joint committees, bypassing of Journal publica- tions may be authorized. Hi AVAILABLE* MANUALS AND REPORTS OF ENGINEERING PRACTICE Number 10 Technical Procedure for City Surveys 13 Filtering Materials for Sewage Treatment Plants 14 Accommodation of Utility Plant Within the Rights-of-Way of Urban Streets and Highways 31 Design of Cylindrical Concrete Shell Roofs 33 Cost Control and Accounting for Civil Engineers 34 Definitions of Surveying and Associated Terms 35 A List of Translations of Foreign Literature on Hydraulics 36 Wastewater Treatment Plant Design 37 Design and Construction of Sanitary and Storm Sewers 39 Sanitary Landfill 40 Ground Water Management 41 Plastic Design in Steel—A Guide and Commentary 42 Design of Structures to Resist Nuclear Weapons Effects 44 Report on Highway and Bridge Surveys 45 Consulting Engineering—A Guide for the Engagement of Engineering Services 46 Report on Pipeline Location 47 Selected Abstracts on Structural Applications of Plastics 49 Urban Planning Guide 50 Report on Small Craft Harbors 51 Survey of Current Structural Research 52 Guide for the Design of Steel Transmission Towers 53 Criteria for Maintenance of Multilane Highways 54 Sedimentation Engineering 55 Guide to Employment Conditions for Civil Engineers 56 Subsurface Investigation for Design and Construction of Foundations of Buildings 57 Operation and Maintenance of Irrigation and Drainage Systems 58 Structural Analysis and Design of Nuclear Plant Facilities 59 Computer Pricing Practices 60 Gravity Sanitary Sewer Design and Construction 61 Introductory Manual on Computer Services 62 Existing Sewer Evaluation and Rehabilitation 63 Structural Plastics Design Manual 64 Manual on Engineering Surveying 65 Construction Cost Control 66 Structural Plastics Selection Manual *Numbers 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 43, and 48 are out of print. iv Dedication This Manual of Practice is dedicated to Roland J. Frappier (Decem- ber 13, 1947-December 7, 1984), a committed member of ASCE's Urban Planning and Development Division, who contributed significantly to the preparation of this publication, both as an author and as an ex-officio member of the Peer Committee. As Assistant Chief of the Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program, Roland exemplified dedication to the plan- ning profession and will be missed by all who knew and worked with him. v This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments In an undertaking of this nature and scale, there are such a large number of contributors that they cannot possibly all be named here. The work could never have been completed without unselfish and dedicated efforts by many, from authors to reviewers to typists. However, special recognition is deserved by a number of groups and individuals for their long-term commitment to this important effort. First, to the authors, who each put a great deal of effort into the development of high quality chapters, which collectively add signifi- cantly to the base of ASCE publications. Special thanks are due to the authors for their dedication in faithfully incorporating the revisions suggested by the Peer Committee. Second, to the Peer Committee, who reviewed the Planning Guide and without which this project would never have been completed. For a whole year, the Committee read, reread and "re-reread" a massive amount of material. Throughout, the Peer Committee maintained high standards, commenting on each chapter in detail. Their comments were consistently thoughtful, insightful, detailed and specific, making it easy for authors to respond. The members of the Peer Committee are as follows: Ruth Fitzgerald—Chairman Wayne C. Allinson—UPD ExCom Representative William H. Claire George D. Barnes Daniel W. Varin Roland J. Frappier We were indeed fortunate for the purposes of continuity that Bill Claire was able to serve on the Peer Committee for this effort, as he served as editor of the original ASCE Planning Guide. Third, to the members of the Task Committee to Prepare a Planning Guide, listed below, who worked so hard to formulate the Planning Guide approach and to bring it to fruition. Many from this Task Committee also served as authors of various chapters. Jarir Dajani Thomas Koch Marshall Reed, Jr. Thomas Debo John Mackie Paolo Ricci Ruth Fitzgerald** Robert McMahon John Schoon Sigurd Grava James Meek Gene Willeke Richard Howe* Michael Meyer James Hudson John Morrison *First Chairman **Second Chairman vii Fourth, to the Executive Committee of the Urban Planning and Development Division, who did not hesitate to provide support to the Planning Guide effort despite many delays and changes during the process. Special acknowledgement is given to Richard S. Howe and Wayne C. Allinson, who provided wholehearted support for this effort during their terms as Chairmen of the Executive Committee. Dick Howe originally conceived the idea of this new Planning Guide, and first chaired the Task Committee charged with its development. Final thanks belong to my employer and to the employers of all other major participants who supported our efforts for the duration of this project. A. Ruth Fitzgerald CE Maguire, Inc. New Britain, Connecticut January, 1986 viii Preface In 1969, the Urban Planning Guide was published by ASCE as Manual of Practice No. 49. This timely publication attempted to set forth the planning precepts of the time and was a popular and widely read document. After more than a decade of use, ASCE's Urban Planning and Development Division decided to either update the 1969 Urban Planning Guide or replace it with a new Planning Guide expanded to cover more of the current complexities of the planning field. The decision was made at that time to pursue the latter route, and a Task Committee was appointed to formulate and carry out the process. The current Planning Guide contains a total of eighteen chapters. The first three chapters deal with planning and the planning process in a generic way, describing the process that any planning study must follow, from data collection to development of implementation mea- sures. The last fifteen chapters are devoted to various specific technical subareas of planning, such as urban transportation planning, solid waste planning, and the environmental assessment process. Although the Planning Guide contains eighteen different chapters, fifteen of them covering technical "subareas" of planning which may be of interest to planners and civil engineers, it makes no claim to full comprehensiveness. The strong focus of this Planning Guide is the practical use of planning tools to solve real life problems. It is intended to be a handbook for practitioners rather than an investigation of planning theory. As such, the information provided in each chapter is not intended to add a new dimension to the field or to provide a step-by-step "cookbook" for carrying out planning studies, but rather to provide the reader with a broad understanding or overview of how the planning process applies to that field and what factors or issues are of particular concern. It is hoped that this Planning Guide will not only be useful to practitioners, but that it will serve as a text for use in engineering and planning curricula. More than any other profession, civil engineers are concerned with infrastructure, the fabric of urban life. Planning for the maintenance and expansion of the nation's infrastructure is the subject of this guide. IX