Regional Planning is Budding

[Michele Zone]

Here is an article on joint ventures in planning and government:
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0406/18/a01-186900.htm

The San Francisco Bay Area had a cutting-edge, regional visioning process 2 to 3 years ago (it covered a span of several months). Supposedly the spearheading agencies will advocate for state policy changes and things like that to support the vision that emerged from the process. I feel fortunate to have been able to participate but I have always wondered if it had any real teeth or if it was just a warm-fuzzy, but largely empty, activity. However, the above article details regional efforts with real substance and something of a "grass roots" bent to it in that it is not a top-down process but a bottom-up one: local governments joining together to be more effective.

I think this bodes well.

 

[Doitnow]

In India only some states have the Legal Act backing up the Regional Planning Process.
In the other states theres no regional planning agency and not regional plan implementation agency.
Theres was a National Level Amendment about creating the regional approach to planning and also emphasis bottom up approach.
Strangely this approach was proposed bynone other than Gandhi way back in the 1940s.
The only regional level work that happens is the district level work which is a jurisdiction boundary for administration of revenue and not really development related issues.

It took us atleast fifty years to enact a legislation and still many states have not ratified it in their respective assemblies.
I find the whole concept stimulating and very effective to tackle the regional imbalances.

I also happen to speak on this subject to the post graduate students in the local planning school. This topis and the use of remote sensing and GIS techniques form the major chunk of all my talks.
I hope that they day will come soion when we will be working on regional plans. I am also aware that regional plans will bring up a different( maybe latent) political issues.
Therefore I find any talk on the subjects attractive including this post.