What Is City Planning?

Additional information

Area architects

The prerequisites for building are created with city plans and their changes. The area covered by a city plan may comprise a whole residential area, for example, or just one site. The City Council sets objectives for planning in the housing and land use programme and in the master plan. The planning unit of Urban Planning prepares the plans based on these objectives.

The city plan (local detailed plan) dictates the following, among other things:

  • for what purposes the area can be used
  • how much can be built on a site
  • pitches of roofs, heights and materials of buildings
  • widths of street areas
  • conservation values of buildings and nature
  • where to locate parks

Preparation and decision-making

City plans are prepared by the planning unit of Urban Planning of the Environmental Division. Plans are approved by the Urban Planning and Environmental Committee or the City Council. Each person preparing or making decisions about the pending city plans can be found on the participation and assessment scheme of the planning initiative.