City planning and policy

Cities have been planned and controlled in one way or another since their creation. What has changed overtime is the ‘nature and context’ (Hall & Barrett, 2012, p. 127) of planning. Planning is a method to control the development and function of a city as well as to mitigate its problems. The earliest cities were designed around religious and cultural beliefs or followed a standard plan. Presently, this may be the case for some cities. However, generally urban planning is mostly centred around facilitating development, controlling and managing change, sustaining environment and historical aspects, social improvements and economic regeneration and growth. Throughout the world, planning systems often differ as they are formed within different political, economic, cultural and historical contexts. The issue that planners and policy makers always face is the social improvements. More specifically, social polarization and social exclusion.

Image showing the infrastructure of Port of Spain and San Fernando. (click photo to enlarge) 

(Click image to enlarge) 

Exclusion is a dynamic process as a result of power imbalances within society that spans through political, economic, cultural and social dimensions. It is driven and reinforced by socialisation and can occur at any level; individual, family, community, national, regional and global. It is characterised by unequal access to resources and discrimination or lack of consideration of differing functionalities and capabilities. All of which lead to inequalities in society wherein certain groups needs are not fully met. (WHO, n.d.)

Therefore social exclusion can be described as a process in which certain groups find it difficult to engage in various functions (attain an education, a healthy body or participate in community life) in society, due to their varying capabilities which have not been considered to the full extent. This deprivation then leads to a state of social exclusion with various impacts on an individual’s emotional, mental, physical and financial life (Sen, 2000) In regards to individuals with disabilities, their functioning in their everyday life, in a city, has been restricted by the insufficient design of the built environment (no ramps/kerbs, no lifts, improper signs, no zebra crossing etc).

References

Hall, T. & Barrett, H. (2012). Planning, regeneration and urban policy. In D. Bell & S. W. Williams (Eds.), Urban Geography (127-161). Abingdon, OX: Routledge.

Sen, A. (2000). Social Exclusion: Concept, Application, And Scrutiny. Retrieved April 05, 2015, from  http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=1916

World Health Organisation (WHO). (n.d). Social Exclusion. Retrieved April 05, 2015, from http://www.who.int/social_determinants/themes/socialexclusion/en/