Accepting that the design of all human settlements begins by understanding the natural landscape means changing many standard planning and design procedures. Plans for building in rural, undeveloped areas should start with a regional geographic analysis that maps streams, steep hillsides, wetlands, patterns of vegetation, and subsoil conditions. The carrying capacity of the natural environment becomes a basis for locating transportation systems, settlements, and growth boundaries. Regional planning thus becomes a design problem in which understanding both natural systems and the functional organization of existing development helps locate transportation systems, commercial centers, and growth boundaries. In cities or suburban locations where development has already taken place, the existing streets, parks, and buildings set the context for new construction. Monumental city design is based on an axis of symmetry and a hierarchy of parts controlled from a central point. Guidelines and regulations can help shape the contributions to the city made by private investors.