Urban planning is generally an interactive process that produces land use plans that provide guidance to the implementation of urban development. The process includes the following: (1) the conceptualization of a place that is under development pressure, (2) the consideration of whether the alternative types of growth patterns are feasible, (3) the specification of a set of systems related to development, and (4) the recommendation of a set of standards intended to result in a functional and/or aesthetically pleasing urban pattern. The planning process often involves a large time frame, sometimes decades. The space under consideration may range from an undeveloped parcel of land up to an entire metropolitan area covering thousands of square miles.

While it is difficult to define and quantify precise numbers, in ...