To ask the question "why plan?" is like asking "why be concerned about the future?" Hans Blumenfeld observed that "there is no such I animal as planners," suggesting that making plans is a basic human I trait, at least in the contemporary western culture. But then he has-tens to add that "some are more planners than others," intimating that some are more thoughtful and skillful in this than others.

A land use plan is a conception about the spatial arrangement of land uses, with a set of proposed actions to make that a reality. Land use planning is, therefore, the...

Setting the plan for planning: This is the determination of basic parameters which include the agenda and priorities for the community, the role of land use planning, resources that can be devoted to it, and the programme for planning.

Building the information system base: This includes the designing, building, and maintenance of "intelligence" for planning.

Problem analysis and goal specification: This is the translation of perceived problems into facts and estimates, and the establishment of the relationship between problems and goals.

Advanced formulation of policies/plans: This includes a policy framework fromwhich a 20 to 25 year land use plan is...

Planning goals can be elusive. More often than not a community relies on its planner to search for and articulate its aspirations. The early planning profession was characterized by its Utopian, visionary, and reformist spirit. This gave the pioneers a sense of mission and challenge. The vitality of the profession has since suffered from what Brooks (1988) has called the quest for increased political efficiency, sanction and financial support from the government, academic respectability and, lately, recognition by the private sector as a facilitator in service to its activities. Many of these quests have proven injurious to the "soul" of...

How much information is needed to make a planning decision? We can make a decision based on any amount of information. The question is how sure we are that it is the right decision and how convincing it is to the people who matter. Then, there are the questions of whether the information exists, and the cost and time required to acquire it.

Very important decisions have been made based on very little information, because the decision-maker is "convinced" that he is right and there is no pressure on him to justify himself to others. On the other hand, some...

L Land use analysis examines the match between user needs and land supply. This is true of a whole city as well as a specific site. The match can work in both directions: finding appropriate land for a use, or finding appropriate use for a piece of land.

Both user needs and land supply have two attributes — location (siting) and space (sizing). On the need side, locational needs are usually determined by referring to planning principles and standards, and space needs are established by a need-gap analysis. On the supply side, the suitability of the location of a piece...

S Synthesis is about matching user needs and land supply within the framework of the public interest. It involves creative thinking and critical evaluation. In this chapter we will discuss substantive principles, that is, what constitutes good land use; and processoral principles, that is, how to make land use decisions intelligently and creatively. We will then explore some strategic choices in land use decisions. To conclude, we will discuss briefly typical contents of a land use plan and graphical presentation of plans.

According to Kaiser, Godschalk and Chapin (1995:251-252) there is a number of "plans": policy framework plans, land classification...

Land use control, often referred to as development control, is perhaps older than land use planning. When we speak of land use control as a tool to implement a plan, we are assuming that control is guided by a plan and that it does not precede nor replace planning. This may seem obvious but, as we shall find out, it was and still is in some cases, not so.

The scope of development control is extraordinarily wide, from regulating the siting of an international airport to requiring a permit to cut down and replant a tree. Development control has often...

Any form of development control will be of little practical value in implementing a plan if there is no development forthcoming as a result of the control. In a mixed economy where private development will occur only in response to market demand, planning must seek to provide the condition and stimulation for the desired development. Peter Headicar (1974:836) observes "First, they (the planners) must create those features in the plan (for example highways or car parks) which they themselves have planned. Second, they must influence the activities of the private sector so that developments of the kind indicated in the...

The land use planning profession is plagued by unrealistic expectations and sloppy execution on the part of planners and by cynicism and expedience on the part of those they serve. The following are the major problems encountered by planners.

(i) There are no uniform definitions of what constitutes land use planning. The contents and scope of plans vary, often exceeding what can be realistically pursued. The analyses are uneven in depth and sophistication. As a result, both governments and the public are confused about what land use planning is and what it can do for them.

(ii) Land use planning...