The purposes of this chapter are to implement the land use element of the master plan to guide orderly development promoting the public health, safety, morals and general welfare. They are intended to regulate the use of land; secure safety from fire, flood, panic, and disasters; provide adequate light, air, and open space; limit buildings and structures according to their type and the nature and extent of their use; regulate the bulk of structures; avoid conflicts with neighboring municipalities, the county and the state; establish appropriate population densities and concentrations contributing to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods, communities and regions and the preservation of the environment; provide sufficient space for residential, recreational, and commercial uses and open space and parking adequate to facilitate those uses; encourage the location and design of transportation routes which will promote the free flow of traffic while discouraging the location of such facilities and routes which result in congestion or blight; promote a desirable visual environment; promote the conservation of open space and valuable natural resources, specifically the ocean and bay areas, to encourage access to those areas and insure preservation of the same, and prevent urban sprawl and degradation of the environment through improper use of land; encourage coordination of various public and private procedures and activities shaping land development with a view of lessening the cost of such development and to the more efficient use of land; and promote the conservation of energy and provide for maximum utilization of renewable energy resources.