Land Economics and Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Land Economics and Planning - Essay Example Firms complete a great deal of market analysis before searching for a suitable location. In addition, firms compile detailed information regarding the cost of product. They know whether electricity cost is more important then freight cost or labor price. Prepared with a list of "must haves" based on this information, the firm's site consultant or representative begins the quest for the firm's ideal location. You can be assured that, like the shopper looking for a pair of shoes, individuals seeking a site for their firms are not about to change the selection criteria because they had a great dinner at your local restaurant. That is why developing a site is so competitive and requires a great deal of preparation by community leaders. It didn't work for our shoe clerk to offer to dye the shoes the right color, and it won't work for a community when it offers to change the terrain of its local industrial site. Instead, a community needs to spend time long before that first visit by a fir m's site-selection team seeking answers to the details regarding the site the community wishes to promote. The more a community considers site-selection criteria before it selects or develops a particular site for promotion, the lower the likelihood becomes that local leaders will need to explain why they spent so many public dollars on a site that is drawing no interest. Most communities in the UK can claim to have sites available for business development. Under closer inspection, these sites are usually either undeveloped open spaces (often agricultural lands) at the edge of the community or former industrial lands within the community. Both of these share a common problem: Businesses cannot occupy them without substantial infrastructure improvements.Sites that have been previously used for industry or other activities are called brownfield sites. Most are in central city areas and are often surrounded by mixed land uses such as residential, commercial, or public (schools and hospitals, for example). Usually brownfield sites were occupied by industrial complexes. Since older industries used multistory facilities, these sites are often on small parcels of land. Modern factories are laid out horizontally (using one story) to facilitate assembly lines and flow of products. Older sites carry the risk of environmental contamination, especially since the y were most likely operated during a period of less stringent environmental regulations. Environmental contamination can be costly to clean up. Finally, older sites may still contain the buildings or other structures from the previous land use. These will either need to be demolished or refurbished (this often includes such actions as bringing the structure up to current fire, building and disability codes as well as other standards). To minimize their costs and risks, businesses will usually locate on sites that require minimum investments in infrastructure and other improvements. This usually eliminates the unprepared sites. Hence, communities that want to have successful business sites must have developed a plan for creating a prepared site. Site development is utilized to create marketable, prepared business sites. 1.1 Requirements for a Prepared Site It is important to realize that for a site to be effective, it must satisfy the needs of a particular business. The site is constructed to improve the quality of life of a community, but it still must be a viable site to attract business. As we stressed above, a