Selection of the best site available for putting up a structure (or groups of buildings) to serve a particular function is very important. Appropriate location has a direct effect on :
(a) Cost of the project
(b) Accessibility
(c) Structural techniques required
(d) Extent and nature of site preparation needed
Basic Requirements
Certain basic needs form the basis for judging the suitability of a site for all types of buildings :
(a) Availability of physical resources such as good water supply, power supply and material supply
(b) Climatic considerations such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation, rainfall, wind etc.
(c) Physical factors such as the contour of the site and nature and condition of the soil.
Zoning and Other Factors
Political factors and land use restrictions by local authorities have to be considered while choosing locations. Usually a city or regional governmental agency divides its area into certain zones. This process sets aside land in an orderly fashion for residential, commercial and industrial use. It places industrial and commercial activities in areas, where they will not interfere with the residential areas or affect the properly values. Zoning facilitates transportation planning, location of railway lines and yards and in segregating hazardous and noisy buildings from those which need safe, dust and pollution free atmosphere and quintuplet. Location is influenced also by its nearness to highways and railway lines where this factor is important to the project under consideration.
The extent of local taxes, such as property tax, sales tax and income tax must be considered in the selection of location. Central government offers certain tax concessions including a tax holiday for locating industries in certain not-so-well developed locations.
Community acceptance is another important factor.
Building bylaws of municipalities and development control rules of various government authorities govern most of the building activities.
Environmental Impact Study (EIS)
Every developmental activity of man has some positive and some negative impacts upon the environment, and site developers should consider the following factors right from the very early stages of planning
(a) Air quality
(b) Water quality ,and quantity
(c) Solid wastes
(d) Noise
(e) Radiation from nearby radio-active sources
(0 Hazardous situations
(g) Energy supply and natural resources depletion
(h) Protection of environmental critical areas - flood plains, wet-lands, beaches and dunes, unstable soil, steep slopes, aquifer recharge areas,
(i) Land use in coastal areas
(j) Redevelopment in built-up areas
(k) Density and congestion mitigation
(l) Neighborhood character and continuity.
Need for Expertise in Site Selection
Site selection is a serious professional task and should not be left to the whims and fancies of the uninitiated. The need for experts to analyse and evaluate specific requirements exists in greater urgency today than in earlier times. Because of urban growth, corporate relocation between urban centers, as well as legislations regarding new zoning limitations and building restrictions together with growing environmental considerations, the evaluation of appropriate locations and sites has become a very crucial aspect of development.
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