What+urban+planners+do

__**1.- URBAN PLANNERS**__
**a.- What is the fascinating work of urban and regional planners? ** Urban and regional planners have a fascinating work; they study and decide about the future of the cities. Our most important work is to make decisions and actions about all areas and elements that we need to transform cities. The principal objective is to be able to meet the demands of the future. **b.- What urban planners do? ** Urban and regional planners have a complicated work. They must integrate different kinds of proposals and objectives in so many areas (economic, social, politic, technologic, and others) to be able to construct a viable project for a city. With these proposals, they must decide the best use of a community’s land and location for residences, industries, recreational spaces, institutional spaces and the agricultural activities according to the purposes of each and the needs of the city.

**c.- What kind of preparation does an urban planner need? ** Urban and regional planners must have a comprehensive training. To do a good job, they should know techniques to make decisions about economic, social and environmental issues. Of course, all urban and regional planners need a college degree. Also, they should be experts on planning of every area that will be present in the project of the city. They need to know environmental regulations, zoning codes, economic and legal issues, and others. Besides this, urban and regional planners must supplement their knowledge with a good speech. They should have skills to negotiate with the institutions of the country, businesses and citizens involved in the project.

__**2.- THE URBAN PLANNING PROGRAM AT VIRGINIA COMMUNITY UNIVERSITY **__

**1. - Why, according to John Accordino, VCU is the right place to start a graduate program in urban planning? ** John Accordino says that the VCU is one of the best places to start a graduate program in urban planning. He exposes that this program is comprehensive and it is composed of practical course, teach skills of planning to create an expert professional on public and private organization. **2. - What are the advantages for studying a master's program in this university? ** There are many advantages for studying a master’s program at the VCU. The master is taught by experts in this area. Also, students have direct contact with experts of Virginia, USA and others countries. **3. - What advantages does the city of Richmond represent to those students who decide to study at VCU? ** He said that the city helps with the formation of the students. The first reason is that Virginia counts with an extraordinary history as a city, historic neighborhoods and exclusive architecture. It is a city with good public policy in areas like politic, economic and environments. Also, he said that Virginia is a city that permits put in practice all the skills that they teach at the University. **4. - What are the different programs offered at VCU? ** The principal program is a master in Planning and urban development. VCU offered different programs; one of them is based on studies of public and private politics. Also, VCU offered a specialization in different areas like Urban Revitalization, Historic Preservation and Geographic Information (G.I.S). Further, VCU offered Planning and Law Degree with the University of Richmond. = = =__**3.- COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE PURPOSES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING**__= Most people think that architecture and urban and regional planning have the same purposes. After hearing the podcast “Urban design as a career” and “The purposes of architecture” you can easily submit a number of differences between these two careers.

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> First, we should know that urban and regional planning is the process to adapt the physical space and shape the city to live in it. Architecture is responsible of creating buildings and any kind of structure. One of the objectives of the urban planning is to establish the best places and activities suited to each area of the city, while, architects construct buildings in places already established to provide shelter for people and their activities. With this, we could say that urban planning is responsible to create spaces for buildings and the Architect design the building.

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> Moreover, urban planners do not design spaces based on the activities of a single building or the interests of one person. Urban planners see the city as a system where buildings are just a little piece of this big system. This system is formed by interests and needs of the people, physical environment and its care, economic and social variables of the cities, and others. Meanwhile, architects designs their buildings based on individual interests or specific customers (architects see their building as an isolated institution which is independent of the system of the city).

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> With this, we know that the objectives and focus of these careers are very different. However, both careers have certain objectives in common. One of them is to create environments safe and comfortable for people. In the case of the architects should design spaces inside the building that provide people a safe, comfortable and a safeguard environment. Meanwhile, urban planners should design places like squares, parks and spaces where people feel comfortable, safe and they can use to work, to have fun, housing and other activities. In other words, both careers design to make people comfortable and safe. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Finally, another similarity between architecture and urban planning is that both design according to the needs of individuals (is important to say that these needs are dynamic and changing <span style="color: #595959; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">through time <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">), preferences and culture of the people. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Discussing the current situation of Caracas is a rather sensitive issue. I could say that now the capital of Venezuela presents a lot of problems about the urban planning because there are so many neighborhoods that don’t count with basics services like water, light, transport, cleanliness, and others. About the 60% of population of Caracas live in these neighborhoods. Obviously, houses of these places don’t count with a good design. These houses are constructed by people. Also, Caracas has a lot of problems with traffic, public transport, services, security and others. With these problems in Caracas, I could say that architecture of Caracas has been seen equally degraded for the bad condition of the city. media type="file" key="ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING.wma" width="300" height="45"