Format of maps for Master Plan/Planning Drawings
Town planners, Architects and Engineers convert topographical maps in to working drawings to work on. They use the ISO A Series sheet formats for their drawings. Ammonia prints of drawings on A0 to A3 have to be folded to A4 size to have title block on top to go into files, storage, used in field and sent across by mail. Planning drawings must be in Landscape format. Planning drawings at any scale for any coverage must always be on base of scientifically prepared topographical map. Planning drawings will have legend and title block column at the right hand side of sheet from top to bottom. Column width can be 100 to 175 mm. Title block must be at bottom-right corner.
The drawings of Master Plan approved by Government are statutory and need to be preserved for long time. Album form is best to the purpose. Further, drawings must be compact and handy to go in to album without folding. For this purpose, A1 size (841 x 594 mm) is best both in album and handling on desk and in field. All the drawings in the Master Plan may be to A1 size in modular form. Topographical maps at scale 1:5,000 with a 800 x 400 mm format covering 4 x 2 km (8 sq km) fits within A1size with sufficient margin at bottom for full length for legend and title block and fits in a handy album.
Preparation of Zonal Plans
The phase of Zonal Plan is between Master Plan and detail plan. Zonal plans are enlargement of Master Plan for part of city or town or for a particular land use zone. Zonal Plan include plan document to supplement the plan (drawing). Zonal plans may show even the minor roads but may not show individual properties which are very small. Maps for Zonal Plan must be at 1:2,000 to show all details but neither dimensions nor all properties.
Town planners’ role does not end on preparation and approval of Master Plan and Zonal Plan at small scale to remain as wall maps for adoration. His role includes translating Master Plan/Zonal Plan in to Action Area Plans.
Preparation of Area Plan
Area plans are action plans to implement the proposals in Master Plan. It may be for extension of city/town or rejuvenation or redevelopment of old and blighted areas. Master Plan is the basis for Area Planning. Maps for Area Plan start at the scale of Master Plan (1:5,000) to delineate the area for planning. Site plan at scale 1:1,000 will be required with additional survey data - cadastral boundary and topography and service cadaster. Maps may be in modular form. But, to see the concept (Master Plan content) for the whole area on one sheet site plan has to be at smaller scale. The Master Plan may be fine tuned on the accurate site plan.
Draft details plan, keeping the Master Plan concept as it is or with modifications, is prepared on a large scale, say 1:2,000, to show all the details in the plan - plots with numbers, roads, road elements like carriage way, centre line, junction details, plot dimensions, even entrance to plots, etc. Details plans may be in modular form. After the Draft Plan is approved detailed plan is finalised on maps at scale 1:1,000 to show all details and dimensions. Dimensions are also indicated to help setting-out and to prepare engineering designs. But, Plan is not fit for allotment of plots and for development.
Physical planner’s responsibilities do not end after preparation of Master Plan at small scale. Physical planner must co-ordinate development as well not only organising and overseeing setting-out of his plan on ground but also there after.
Setting-out
Draft As-set-out Plan: Planner’s responsibility does not end on preparation of detail plan but includes setting-out on ground. Setting-out is organised in which survey control points used in mapping are referenced. Draft as-set-out plan is prepared at scale 1:1,000 in modular form showing dimension of all the sides of plots, spaces and roads. Number to all plots and spaces are assigned. Alpha numeric numbers are assigned to road intersections to identify them.
Final as-set-out plan: Compatibility of roads and plots to ground condition is checked. Plan is amended where necessary. Amended road/plot are reset-out and final as-set-out plan is prepared. Final digital data is generated. Number to all plots and spaces are reassigned if necessary. Plan now fit for allotment and fit for development (engineering operations). Plan now ready for application of GIS. Is that the end of planner’s responsibility? Not exactly.
Enforcement of plan
Enforcement of plan - Master Plan, Zonal Plan and detail plan - and monitoring developments as per detailed plans, rests with town planners. Planner is coordinator for development including service providing agencies and others for construction of roads, water supply lines, sewerage system, electricity and distribution and telecommunication system.
Monitoring Maps: Service agencies have to plan their road system, alignment of service lines on maps obtained from Urban Development/Local Authorities which must be at scale 1:1,000 with topographical and ideally with cadastral details. Planners record his approval for alignment of roads, service lines on a set of hard copies of topographical maps called Monitoring Maps large enough to indicate lines and write set back measurements and other details.
Scale for Monitoring Maps: Space in the Right of Way (ROW) of narrow roads on maps must facilitate showing service lines and setback measurements. A 6 m wide street will be 6 mm on 1:1,000 scale map. Water/sewer/ electricity/gas and telephone lines and measurements can be indicated in that space, of course on separate sheets. In general maps for monitoring of road construction and service lines must be at scale 1:1,000.
Format for Monitoring Maps: Ammonia prints of Monitoring Maps, with approvals on them from UDA/LA, are used intensively in office as record and in field by service providing agencies. Legend, title block will be on the right, from top to bottom. Format must be A1 as it is convenient to use on desk and in field and in album. Topographical maps at 1:1,000 cover 1.0 x 0.5 km area on a 1,000 x 500 mm sheet. Map is divided in to two parts (East and West) each to fit on A1 size sheet and to cover 0.5 x 0.5 km area. Even these sheets can be assigned 6 digit unique numbers which can be scalable.
Monitoring Planning Permission: Statutory work of Town Planner include: change of land use for specific properties in the Master Plan / CDP approved, group housing, sub-division planning by other Govt. agencies, private agencies, individuals for sites and services schemes, amalgamation of properties, sub-division of properties. These commitments need to be recorded, ideally on a separate set of Monitoring Maps, or, on Monitoring Maps for line infrastructure. All approvals (commitments) need to be incorporated in the working copy of digital data of Master Plan which include topographical and cadastral details.
Single source for survey data
The foregoing discussion brings out the BEST PRACTICE in the process of planning and monitoring of physical development of urban areas. But, there is a belief in some quarters that maps for planning at macro (Metro/City) level could be from an inexpensive, quickly and easily acquired survey data and maps can be prepared later for detail planning from more accurate and detail survey data. This is a misconception and over simplification of the process of physical planning and monitoring urban development.
Master Plan or Development Plan or even the Zonal Plan must ultimately need to be set-out on ground. Setting-out require details which can be shown clearly on detailed plans at large scale. Unless the relationship between the proposals on plan at small scales at macro level and detail plan are in tact, detailed plan when set-out on ground may go haywire as it happens more often than not. Agencies implementing the plan are well aware of the conflict between plan and the ground reality in the absence of scientifically prepared base maps for planning at macro and micro levels. The relationship between say alignment of roads, boundary of land uses and cadastral boundaries (existing structures) for example, on plan at small scales at macro level must remain intact when blown up to large scale(s) to show details at micro level. If this relationship is not maintained in tact, it is possible that the planned alignment, when set-out on ground, may hit an insurmountable obstacle, like steep hill or valley or a permanent building. The situation may lead to change (distort) the plan by people implementing it, which may not be satisfactory. It will also amount to varying the approved plan at macro level which may attract objections from affected people, which lead to disputes, court cases and which may stall the whole scheme itself.
Preparation of Planning Study Maps from details at large scale to small scale at macro level is synonymous to preparation of small scale town map from large scale maps with complete details. Similarly, preparation of detailed plan at large scale from Master Plan/CDP at small scale (macro level) is synonymous to carrying out detailed survey from hierarchy of survey control from primary to secondary to tertiary level.
Thus it is naive to believe that inexpensive small scale map with lower accuracy can be used for planning at macro level to be followed by mapping at larger scale more accurately for detail planning at micro level. The proposition would ultimately unproductive by way of doubling the effort, cost and more importantly, confusion and difficulties in planning process and problems in enforcing the plan at smaller scale.
It is not prudent to advocate such a proposition.
Conclusions
From the discussion in the paper the following conclusion are made:
- Survey data for large scale mapping of urban areas must be as much detail as possible whatever method is adopted.
- Small-scale maps for planning at macro level must be derived from large-scale maps.
- For BEST PRACTICE in the process of planning and monitoring of physical development in urban areas maps at different scales will be required.
- Planning study maps grow shrink from large scale to small scale to details from micro to macro level.
- Plan for macro (City/Town) level is conceptualised on map at small scale.
- Plan for micro (local) level is derived by blowing up the Master Plan.
Features or spaces with the dimensions in the shaded cells cannot be easily perceived by human eye. Therefore, such spaces and features need to generalized.