Planning Ethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning Ethics - Term Paper Example While cities must inevitably develop when the opportunities are available, it is the responsibility of planners through planning ethics to consolidate moral principles and the factors that contribute to the initiation and development. This paper will discuss the aspect of â€Å"Planning Ethics† with regards to the development of cities and from the understanding that the primary function of planners is to serve the public interest. The justification for planning ethics is that environmental, economic, political and social development presents both opportunities and threats for the community (Gasper, 2011). On the other hand, planners are primarily responsible to themselves and secondarily to the public and authorities for optimum standards of integrity and proficiency. Therefore, since planners play key decision-making roles, planning ethics dictate that they exercise independent, honest and fair judgment in the services they deliver (APA, 2014a). Therefore, planning should not only target to develop cities simply because trade opportunities are available and the transport infrastructure is favorable or can easily be upgraded. It should also target the welfare of the citizens so as to result in more equitable and efficient cities for not only the present but future generations as well (APA, 2014b). For example, when oil was discovered in Qatar, the road networks were rapidly expanded and developed to open up t rade opportunities but not much consideration was given to the possibility of a population explosion. However, with the rapid population growth and mostly by expatriates, the city has been forced to upgrade its transport network including an additional airport, new highways and a metro system to ease congestion from its roads. This is because the planners did not take into consideration how development and sustainability relate to each other (TCN, 2014). When planning ethics are