Bottom-up and top-down planning

Text 2C

Methods of land use planning

Text 2B

The planning process should be based on the cadastral survey of land resources. The present situation must be taken into consideration. The land use planner is to decide what needs should be changed and how can the changes be made. He is also to find out which is the best option and how far is the plan succeeded.

This progression of questions has led to the formulation of a guide to land use planning – the planning cycle.

Land use planning is implemented at the national, regional or local level. At the national level land use policy is balanced upon the competing demands for land among different sectors of the economy –

food production, export crops, wildlife conservation, housing and public amenities, roads, industry.

National development plans and budget must be taken into consideration as well as project identification and the allocation of resources for development. Sectoral agencies involved in land use must be coordinated. Legislation on such subjects as land tenure, forest clearance and water rights should be worked out by all means.

Regional level includes such siting of new developments as settlements, forest plantations and irrigation schemes. The need for improved infrastructure such as water supply, roads and marketing facilities is one of the main problems of this cycle. The development of management guidelines for improved kinds of land use on each type of land is also necessary.

Land use planning is oriented to local conditions in terms of both method and content. Planning approaches often fail because global models and implementation strategies are applied and taken over automatically and uncritically. But land use planning is not a standardized procedure which is uniform in its application world-wide. Its content is based on an initial regional or local situation analysis.

Local level provides the layout of drainage, irrigation and soil conservation work as well as the siting of specific crops on suitable lands.

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There are two different planning strategies. Bottom-up land use planning assumes a concept which understands rural development to be a process based on self-help and self-responsibility.

The population should actively participate in the process of land use planning. The result of planning and the implementation of measures can only be sustainable if plans are made with and by the people, not behind them or even against them. Planning is therefore not just a matter for experts, but should be carried out together with those affected by it. To ensure a feeling of ownership concerning self-help activities, people who are affected have to be involved in the planning process from the early beginning.

Starting at the local level, bottom-up planning means active participation of the land users who will eventually implement the land use plan already at the identification of the land use problem. The other stages of the planning cycle, help to identify and prioritize between different options.

In some cases, especially in situations involving large areas or large investments it might be more efficient to focus land use planning at higher administrative level. It is called top-down land use planning. It allows to get results of planning which will be integrated with existing planning administration and legislation.

The two planning strategies each have their own advantages and disadvantages and care should be taken not to rely upon only one strategy. Sometimes there are such actual planning situations when one should choose the most appropriate strategy to follow and often mix both of them to get the most satisfying result.

There are some of the advantages of bottom – up land use planning. They include local targets, management and benefits: people will be more enthusiastic about a plan seen as their own. More popular awareness of land use problems and opportunities are available. Plans can pay close attention to local constraints: natural resources or socio-economic problems. Better information is fed upwards for higher levels of planning.

But there are also different disadvantages. Local interests sometimes can conflict with regional or national interests. Difficulties occur in integrating local plans within a wider framework. There is limited technical knowledge at the local level. Technical agencies need to make a big investment in widely scattered places. Local efforts may collapse because of a lack of higher-level support.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27