86 URBAN PLANNING

(d) Agriculture. forestry andfishery base:

I. Contribution of agriculture, forestry and fishery as primary occupations to the gross product. Location and extent of
agricultural fields. Forest reservations. Fish ponds and their conservation, development and utilisation. Supply of food and
fuel to the city.
8. Implementation:
(a) Financial implications: Fiscal programming and long-term budgeting for the realisation of the plan. Phasing the plan
priorities in the implementation of the plan. Sources of finance for implementing the plan.
(b) Legal implications: Legal basis for preparation and enforcement of the plan. Development control, zoning and sub-divisiori
regulations and building bye-laws.
(c) Planning administration: The existing administrative set-up for Town & Country Planning at the state and local levels. The
city Planning Authority and its set-up, status, functions and
limitations. Administrative machinery needs for implementing. the Development Plan.
(d) Public participation: Public participation methods in the
preparation and implementation of the plan at all stages.

H) Important Measures in Development Plan

The following important measures are taken into consideration in
the preparation of the Development Plan. 1. Zoning regulations
2. Density of population
3. Sub-division regulations
4. Floor area ratio (FAR)
I. Zoning regulations
The zoning regulations and their administration is a major tool in carrying out the landuse part of the Development Plan. In
order to promote public health, safety and general moral and social welfare of the community, it is essential to regulate the use
of land and buildings. This is to ensure that the most appropriate, economical and healthy dt:welopment of the city takes place
as per the landuse plan. For this purposes, the city is divided into a number of 'use zones' such as residential, commercial,
industrial, recreational etc. Each use-zone has its special regulations because a single set of regulations cannot be
 DEVELOPMENT PLAN 87

applied to the entire city because each zone varies in character and functions. In this respect, zoning regulations differ
from \)uilding codes. Building codes are applicable uniformly to all
land or building of similar use, wherever they may be located
whereas zoning regulations are not to be used for nuisance, control and human segregations into income or caste groups for
certain areas.
The preparation of zonal development plans for new areas is comparatively easy than old and built-up areas of the city, where
detailed study and data collection are required. Zonal Development plans for the old areas should form part of a comprehensive
urban renewal and redevelopment programme. In the meantime, community facilities may be provided on an
adhoc basis. It is important to improve the circulation in the older parts of the city. Slum improvement is more sensible than
demolition and redevelopment.
Zoning protects residential areas from the harmful effects of commercial and industrial uses while promoting business and
industry by ensuring planned and orderly development The open spaces around the building provide adequate light, air, fire
protection etc, It prevents over-crowding in buildings a'nd continued adequacy of water, sewerage, transportation, schools, parks
and other facilities. It does not prohibit uses of lands and buildings which were legally established before the zoning regulations
are enforced. If these uses are contrary to the regulations in a particular use zone and would not be allowed as new uses, they are
termed as 'non-conforming' uses.
(a) Non-conforming uses: The provision regarding non-conforming uses comes into effect with respect to industrial and other
landuses mentioned. For the rest of the non-conforming uses the provisions will come into effect only after the preparation of the
zonal development plans because they determine the siting of local facilities like ~hops etc. All existing places of worship and
burial grounds shall not be considered as non-conforming uses.
(b) Discontinuance of non-conforming uses: Industrial nonconforming uses are those that do not conform to the landuse shown in
the Development Plan. They will have to be shifted in gradual stages in industrial areas earmarked in the plan. In
allocating new industrial sites, the demands of the non
conforming uses will have to be given priorities by' the
I
88 URBAN PLANNING

authorities for expediting the shifting. This can be in the shape of providing extra land needed for expansion by the industry at
the new site allowing the present owners to develop the land from which they are shifting in accordance with the landuse by
providing loans etc. It should also be noted that the shifting of ,~du~t~ a.cconl\n'E. to tne "Q\a.n VII'\\ \)e l\o-"-,,,bk only ,f
-"uitable
land for the purpose is available.
The non-conforming industries should be given suitable time to shift from their present site. A time schedule should be worked
out for their shifting. This process must be governed by the fact that there- should be minimum amount of production and the
workers should not be put to undue hardship. In the case of industrial non-conforming uses, additions to the building or
machinery should not be allowed but the use of existing machinery and building for a different line of manufacture may be
permitted provided it is not noxious.
(c) Contents of the Zonal Development Plan: The Zonal Develop
ment plans shall show the broad outlines of the following:
I. Appropriate boundaries of the neighbourhoods with gross
residential density.
2. Major internal roads and services.
3. Community centres.
4. Appropriate location of high schools and primary schools.
5. Neighbourhood parks.
The pattern of self-contained Planning Division is conceived from bottom to top. The lowest tier in the urban complex will be
the 'Housing Cluster' containing 750 to 1000 population. These clusters roughly correspond to the traditional 'Mohallas' found in
Indian cities and towns. It will have as its nuclues a nursery school with a tot-lot. These housing clusters are grouped around a
primary school and convenience stores with a smalJ park will form a 'Residential unit' containing a population of between 3500
to 5000 people. However, for wider range of community activities the 'Residential Plann;ng Area' of 12000 to 15000 population
containing nearly 3000 families should be planned. It will have for its focal point a high school, a community hall
with adequate neighbourhood shopping for the day-to-day needs. For the provision of additional facilities such as a health
centre, library, cinema, shopping, recreation, three residential planning areas are grouped to form a 'community centre'. Seven
of these community centres form a 'District' with a
DEVELOPMENT PLAN 89
'District Centre'. This will have a composite retail shopping centre with commercial and service areas. In some cases, they will
have a small area for Govt. offices and an industrial work centre to provide employment. This will serve a population
ranging from 150,000 to 250,000, In the Zonal Development Plans the community centres, high schools, primary schools, parks
and other facilities should be shown. The District Centres alone can be shown in the Landuse Plan.
(2) Density of population
For calculating density in the residential zones, one dwelling unit is presumed to have 5 persons in India. The density shown in
the Landuse Plan for" a particular area shall be followed in
considering layout plans for the area till such time as the Zonal Development Plans are finalised to achieve the overall density
prescribed for the area. However, a variation upto 15 percent of the gross density prescribed for the area. However, a variation
upto 15 percent of the gross densities may be allowed. The community facilities should be planned on the basis of the actual
gross density achieved. In calculating gross residential density, all land meant for community facilities like local shopping, parks,
playgrounds, schools, roads and other facilities should be included. Incidental open spaces left around and in between two
buildings should be included.
(3) Sub-division regulations
The purpose of these regulations is to guide the development of the new areas in accordance with the Landuse Plan. As long as
this is done along sound planning principles with adequate space standards, the future of the city is assured. This will avoid
the necessity of costly corrective measures needed if substandard growth is allowed to take place. While the requirements
regarding water supply, sewerage, grading and surfacing of streets, street lighting etc., will be governed by municipal by-laws,
the sub-division regulations will be confined to stan~ dards for street width and community facilities which are laid down as a
sliding scale according to the density.
The sub-division of land refers to the division of land into two or more parcels for the purpose of sale or building development. It
is essentially a process of converting raw land into building sites. In many countries this process is controlled by local laws,
which regulate the manner and location of sub-division and the provision of improvements such as roads and drainage systems.
90 URBAN PLANNING
The sub-division regulations require a prospective developer to submit a plan of his proposed scheme to the Planning Authority
before he proceeds to make improvements or to divide and sell his land. The approval of the Planning Authority compels the
developers to comply to the rules. Sub-division or selling of lots in an unapproved scheme renders the developer -liable to civil
and criminal penalities. In this way, sub-divi~ion regulations can exert a significant influence on the location, manner and
timing. Sub-division regulations are a useful legal tool for taxation, registration of plans, accurate land records etc.
(4) Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
It is also known as 'Floor Space Index (FSI) It is the quotient obtained by dividing the total covered area on all floors by the
area of the plot.
FAR (or) FSI = Total covered area of all floors/Plot area.

For example, a Floor Area Ratio of I: 1.5 means that the total area of all the floors in a building cannot be greater than 1.5 times the
area of the plot.. If all the floors in a building have same area, then a building consisting offive floors will have on each floor an area
equal to 0.3 times (] .5/5 = 0.3) the area of the plot in each floor. If the building consists of ten floors, each floor will have an
area of 0.15 times (1.5/1 0 = 0.15) the area of the plot in each floor. It is also related to building height regulations. Thus FAR
controls the density of built-up area on a given plot.

(I) Factors to be Considered in Development Plan

The following factors should be taken into consideration in the
Development Plans of the cities.
I. Urban population growth cannot be prevented, it must be
planned and accommodated.
2. The form of cities is determined by individuals and
organisations rather than by governments. Private sector will
continue to play dominant role in city development.
3. There a"re certain limitations on the abilities of governments to intervene effectively in the urban development. Government
interventions have produced unintended and undesirable results in many cases. A more realistic approach would be to
distinguish between the need for government intervention and private sector encouragement in the development of cities.