Smallest base unit of urban planning!

What has to be the smallest base unit of urban planning? Sector, cluster, zone, block, plot, dwelling unit or a hypothetical grid. Above are convenient measurement units but fundamental "human" element is missing there. Add "people" into the equation and each of these unit becomes dynamic pulsating living being having spillover effect, missed in current brownfield planning and development approach.

"People" for whom & from where urban planning should start and where all the benefits of planning should culminate.

Community, being a considerably large, heterogeneous and multicultural entity

is too big to be considered the smallest unit of urban planning; while Individual, having a limited set of attributes and prolific in numbers is rather too small & cumbersome an entity for base unit.

"Household" with its autonomous demographic, cultural & socioeconomic quality, gender mix, age range, embodiment of community ethos & manageable scale should be the most logical & obvious choice of smallest unit & assessment tool of urban planning. Household's data attributes should go beyond economic, demographic & census checklist & must factor in parameters of it's social and ecological footprint, commute profile, debt & liabilities, pursuits and aspirations etc.

Author: Anoop Jha