Perspectives in Urban Planning Research: Methods and Tools

Abstract

The physical urban terrain across cities continually evolves through insights, consultations, deliberate redesigning or random acts by community members and natural forces that reshape the urbanscapes and how urban spaces are used. These built urban environments, including the quality of air, water and infrastructure therein, determined through research - informed designs and redesigns, are aimed at suiting the needs of space users in consideration of their social, psychological, political, cultural, financial, physical and such other dispositions and needs. Such research methods and tools used in shaping urban planning are also evolving. This paper discusses these contemporary research methods, tools and technolog y used in an urban planning inquiry. It applies current trends and examples to illustrate the employment of the methods used in researching urban planning to inform the design, development and operation of urban spaces. It is intended to be a valuable introductory reference for emerging researchers in urban planning, especially, undergraduate and postgraduate students with limited previous exposure to urban planning research, who are looking for a consolidated starting point . The authors found this to be largely lacking. Established researchers in the discipline will find the article useful as well. It concludes that future research in the discipline should not ignore established research techniques in addressing urban vulnerabilities.