Planning 241

Fundamentals of Community Architecture

5 I Urban Design
Controls
Spatial Order
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts
Far Eastern University
2020
 Urban Design Controls
Definition

» Urban design controls are tools by which urban design strategy is reinforced and implemented
» These are design elements of both private and public spaces coordinated in a way to reinforce the
place identity and bring about a sense of community
» When putting up guidelines, it is extremely important to be clear on the main driving principle in
design that we want the guidelines to address
» Caution must be taken in restricting the potential of space by putting comprehensive design
guidelines that inhibit creativity and may prevent organic growth of the urban fabric

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SOURCE: http://placemaking.me/archives/20758
 Urban Design Controls:
Floor Area
Floor Area Ratio

» proportion between the built area and the lot area

» Also referred to as Plot Ratio
» PD 1096
• Floor to Lot Area Ratio (FLAR) or Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is referred as the ratio between the Gross Floor Area (GFA) of a
building/ structure ad the Total Lot Area (TLA) on which it stands
• The FLAR is determined by dividing the GFA by the TLA

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SOURCE: CDEP. (nd,) Planning and Urban Design
 Urban Design Controls:
Floor Area
Floor Space Index

» Floor Space Index (FSI), also referred to as Floor Area Ratio (FAR), is the ratio of total floor area of a
building (Built up area) to the total Plot area (land). This numeric value indicates the total amount of
area (on all floors) you can build upon a plot.

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SOURCE: Happho.com
 Urban Design Controls:
Land Use Planning and Zoning
Incentive Zoning

» means a zoning in which, an incentive such as a relaxation in zoning restrictions are offered to a developer for
providing public benefits like building a desired public improvement, or building in areas that requires economic
development.
» also termed as bonus zoning
» Section 15: CLUP Guidebook Vol 3
» Density bonuses, such as through allowable building height increases, may be provided as incentives for
projects that use CCA/DRRM technology or innovations, i.e. use of solar panels, rainwater harvesting, smart
urban drainage systems, green architecture/ building systems.
» Similar incentives may also be given to projects that provide wider setbacks, increased ground level open
spaces, provides public infrastructure or conserve heritage sites.

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SOURCE: USLEGAL.com I HLURB Guidebook Volume 3
 Urban Design Controls:
Land Use Planning and Zoning
Incentive Zoning
» Ordinance No. 535, S-2014, Green Building Regulations of Mandaluyong City

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SOURCE: Ordinance No. 535, S-2014, Green building Regulations of Mandaluyong City
 Urban Design Controls:
Land Use Planning and Zoning
Cluster Zoning

» creating a special zoning policies and regulations for medium to large sized controlled developments
» type of zoning in which density is determined for an entire area, rather than on a lot-by-lot basis.
» Within the cluster zone, the developer has greater flexibility in designing and placing structures. The
overall density requirement should be met by the developer. Developments in cluster zoning often
incorporate open, common areas with park-like settings.
» permits residential properties to be clustered closely together than normally allowed
» also referred to as density zoning

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SOURCE: CDEP. (nd,) Planning and Urban Design I Uslegal.com
 Urban Design Controls:
Land Use Planning and Zoning
Cluster Zoning

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SOURCE: https://www.southforbes.com/
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Building Height

» PD 1096 Section 707: Maximum Height of Buildings

» Building height limit is the maximum height to be allowed for building/ structures based on their
proposed use or occupancy; the BHL is generally determined after the application of other
development controls and other parameters (e.g. consideration of site condition, view, etc.
» Building height limit is generally determined from the established grade line to the topmost portion
of the proposed building structure
» Building height limit excludes the height of the permitted/ allowed projections above the roof of the
building/structure (e.g. signage, mast, antenna, telecom tower, beacons and the like)
» Building height limit of any proposed building/structure shall only be as allowed under this rule or
under the duly approved city/municipal zoning ordinance whichever is more restrictive

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Building Height
PD 1096

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Building Height
HLURB Guidebook 3

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SOURCE: HLURB Guidebook 3
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Setback/ Yard

» The required open space left between the outermost face of the building/structure and the property
lines (e.g. front, rear, right and left side yards)
» The width of the yard is called setback

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Setback/ Yard

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Setback/ Yard

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Setback/ Yard

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Building Bulk

» The overall size of the proposed building/structure as initially characterized by the gross floor area or
the total gross floor area by the overall dimensions of its allowable maximum building footprint by its
height as dictated by the building height limit and also by the extent of allowable projections.
» The building bulk, expressed in cubic meters must not exceed the established AMVB above grade.
» All measurements pertaining to the building bulk shall be made from the outermost faces of the
exterior wall and roof or from the most bottom surface of the lowermost floor of the
building/structure

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Building Bulk

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Building Bulk

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SOURCE: PD 1096
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Architectural Character

» Character refers to all those visual aspects and physical features that comprise the appearance of
every building.
» Character-defining elements include:
• the overall shape of the building,
• its materials,
• craftsmanship,
• decorative details,
• interior spaces and features,
• as well as the various aspects of its site and environment

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SOURCE: nps.gov
 Urban Design Controls:
Urban Design Guidelines
Architectural Character

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SOURCE: Vigan Ordinance No. 7 Series of 2006
 Urban Design Controls:
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental Impact Assessment

» The Philippine Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) System was formally established in 1978 with
the enactment of Presidential Decree no. 1586.
» The Department of Environment and Natural Resources was given the task of administering the
EIA system through the Environmental Management Bureau and its regional offices.
» Projects with potentially significant environmental impacts were categorized either as
environmentally critical or located in environmentally critical areas.
» Projects under the first category had to undergo full-scale EIA studies while those in the latter
category were submitted to Initial Environmental Examinations.

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SOURCE: iaia.org
 Urban Design Controls:
Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental Impact Statement

» Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System

» Pursuant to PD 1586 of 1978, refers to the entire process of organization, administration and
procedure institutionalized for the purpose of assessing the significance of the effects of physical
developments on the quality of the environment.
» Projects that fall within the purview of the EIS System include:
• Environmentally Critical Projects
• Projects located in Environmentally Critical Areas

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SOURCE: HLURB Guidebook Vol 3
 Urban Design Controls:
Environmental Impact Statement
Environmentally Critical Projects

» Refers to projects which have a potential for negative environmental impacts and are listed in
Presidential Proclamation 2146 dated December 14, 1981 as follows:
Heavy Industries
•Non-ferrous metal industries
•Iron and steel mills
•Petroleum and petro-chemical industries
•Smelting plants
Resource Extractive Industries
•Major mining and quarrying projects
•Forestry projects such as logging; major wood processing, introduction of fauna (exotic animals) in public/private forest, forest occupancy and extraction of mangroves and grazing
•Fishery projects (dikes for/and fishpond development projects)
Infrastructure Projects
•Major dams
•Major power plant
•Major reclamation projects
•Major Roads and bridges
Golf Course Projects

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SOURCE: HLURB Guidebook Vol 3
 Urban Design Controls:
Environmental Impact Statement
Environmentally Critical Areas

» Refer to those areas which are environmentally sensitive and are listed in Presidential Proclamation
2146 dated December 1981, as follow

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SOURCE: HLURB Guidebook Vol 3
 Urban Design Controls:
Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental Impact Statement

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SOURCE: eia.emb.gov.ph/
 Urban Design Controls:
Environment and Resource Management
Command and Control Strategies

» Command-and-control regulation sets specific limits for pollution emissions and/or mandates that
specific pollution-control technologies that must be used.
» Although such regulations have helped to protect the environment, they have shortcomings:
• No incentive for going beyond the limits they set;
• Once the command-and-control regulation has been satisfied, polluters have zero incentive to do better.
• Limited flexibility on where and how to reduce pollution;
• It usually requires the same standard for all polluters, and often the same pollution-control technology as well. This
means that command-and-control regulation draws no distinctions between firms that would find it easy and
inexpensive to meet the pollution standard—or to reduce pollution even further—and firms that might find it difficult
and costly to meet the standard. Firms have no reason to rethink their production methods in fundamental ways that
might reduce pollution even more and at lower cost.
• Politically-motivated loopholes.
• command-and-control regulations are written by legislators, so they are subject to compromises in the political
process.
• Too costly for regulators to gather information and regulators often have to collect it from the source they
are regulating which can be subject to corruption and submission of false report
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SOURCE: Khanacademy.org
 Urban Design Controls:
Environment and Resource Management
Command and Control Strategies

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SOURCE: RA 8749
 Urban Design Controls:
Environment and Resource Management
Market Based Instruments

» Market based instruments are incentive based policies that encourage polluters to reduce their
emissions thru rewards and punishments in the form of taxes, marketable permits and liability
among others
» Allow polluters to choose the most cost-effective way of reducing their emission
» Polluters under the market based instrument of taxes will pay a certain amount per unit of pollution
• This economic incentive will encourage polluters to find innovative solutions to reduce emissions to meet marginal cost
since they have to pay more if they have higher amount of emissions. This can be applied to highly pollutive industries
owned by multi-national companies
» Disadvantage of market based instruments include political bias and high tax imposed on
comparison to the penaltes under command and control strategies

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SOURCE: Anderson.
 Urban Design Controls:
Environment and Resource Management
Market Based Instruments

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SOURCE: Reuters.com
 Urban Design Controls:
Environmental Preservation, Conservation, Renewal and Adaptive Re-use
Environmental Preservation

» Protecting the environment from urban growth by restricting development in cetain areas,
especially in sensitive areas such as wetlands, coastal areas and mountain environments

Conservation

» A term used interchangeably with preservation but having the rather more positive connotation of
adaptation of parts of buildings while retaining the essential spirit of the original
» Conservation area is an area containing a group of buildings of special architectural or historical
significance which a Local Authority may designate

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SOURCE: CDEP. (nd,) Planning and Urban Design
 Urban Design Controls:
Environmental Preservation, Conservation, Renewal and Adaptive Re-use
Urban Renewal

» A general term to describe the idea of consciously renewing the outworn areas of towns and cities;
covers most aspects of renewal including both redevelopment and rehabilitation
» Process of cleaning slum areas which are economically and physically beyond repair, rehabilitation
areas where houses and neighborhood facilities can be restored to come up to a healthy, safe and
good living standards and protective measures in order to prevent enrichment of undesirable
influences

Adaptive Re-Use

» Converting old, usually historic buildings, sections of or entire districts to new uses other than their
original purpose.

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SOURCE: CDEP. (nd,) Planning and Urban Design
 Planning 241
Fundamentals of Community Architecture

Thank You
Prepared by MAAKBAR
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts
Far Eastern University
2020