THE COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY

GEOMATIC ENGINEERING

GE 271 – LANDUSE PLANNING

HANDOUT 3

LANDUSE PLANNING PROCESS

Outline

• Introduction to Iterative Planning

• Planning as an Iterative Process

• Land Use Planning at Different Levels

• Deliverables in Planning Process

• Planning Process for Urban, Rural,

and Regional Contexts
Introduction to Iterative Planning
 PDCA (plan-do-check-act, is a repetitive four-
stage model for continuous improvement (CI) in
business process management.
 Plan: Define the problem to be addressed,
collect relevant data, and ascertain the problem's
root cause.
 Do: Develop and implement a solution; decide
upon a measurement to gauge its effectiveness.
 Check: Confirm the results through before-and-
after data comparison.
 Act: Document the results, inform others about
process changes, and make recommendations for
the problem to be addressed in the next PDCA
cycle.
PDCA CYCLE
Planning as an Iterative Process (PIP)

 Iteration means the act of repeating a

process usually with the aim of approaching a
desired goal or target or result.
 The planning and the plan(s) become more
detailed and better adapted to the
circumstances with every iteration.
 Iterative planning is based on a continuous
learning process. Requires the readiness of all
those involved to keep asking and learning.
 Planning as an iterative process makes it
easier to react to undesirable developments
and to learn from mistakes before they have
disastrous consequences.
Planning as an Iterative Process (PIP)
PIP - Definition of objectives

 Based on the needs and problem analysis of

all the stakeholders.
 These objectives should reflect people’s
perceptions and priorities as well as
overarching (regional and national) goals.
 A distinction should be made between short-,
medium-term and long-term objectives.
 It is important to create an understanding of
each other’s priorities in order to achieve
ownership of the common objectives.
 All stakeholders should be sensitized to the
importance of objectives.
PIP - Data Collection

 Define the objectives and identify the data

needed before starting data collection.
 Data Sources can be formal or informal,
written or oral, examples include: Statistics,
official maps, local knowledge, interviews
with key stakeholders, Remote sensing data.
 Methods for Data Collection: Desk research,
interviews, topographic surveys, analysis of
existing maps, inventories, group discussions,
interpretation of aerial photographs etc.
 Getting familiar with the background as well
as cultural values and norms to understand
seemingly irrational decisions on land use.
PIP - Data Analysis

 Social, socio-cultural and ecological impact

assessments should always be carried out
when major land use changes are foreseen.
 Assessments should include the processes of
analysing, monitoring and managing the
intended and unintended consequences, both
positive and negative of planned interventions
 Tools such as GIS, GNSS and remote sensing
are used to monitor land cover changes e.g.
deforestation, establish landuse plans and
model alternative land use option scenarios.
 Maps, aerial photos, satellite images and GPS
are key tools for any landuse planning.
PIP - Data Presentation

 At the end of data collection and analysis, all

stakeholders have to reach an agreement on
their findings.
 The results of the data analysis have to be
presented in a way that is understandable to
everyone. This is achieved by visualization.
 Forms of visualization are maps, tables,
diagrams, pictures or photographs.
 The success of the presentation depends on
how strong stakeholders identify themselves
with the analysis.
 The focus is on agreement on the current
situation. Then passage to plan formulation.
PIP - Plan Formulation

 Data collection and analysis go hand in hand

with plan formulation.
 While discussing current problems, people
generally end up realizing which landuses
need to be changed.
 No matter how simultaneous or consecutive
analysis and planning are done, in the end
there needs to be a “plan”.
 During plan formulation, existing sector plans
need to be respected.
 The final form of the landuse plan depends on
the urban, rural or regional context.
PIP - Implementation

 Planning without implementation is a waste of

time, money and human resources.
 Implementation of the plan always has to be
organized decentrally via local structures.
 This means that organizations and institutions
should be established, reinforced, coordinated
at local level to guarantee implementation.
 While planning the implementation, measures
with short-, medium- and long-term effects
must be combined.
 Usually, individual measures aimed at short-
term economic yield are initially in the
interest of the stakeholders.
PIP - Monitoring and Updating

 It is necessary to monitor impact as well as

process. Consequently, monitoring needs to
be done during the planning phase.
 Monitoring of plan implementation needs to
focus on the degree of implementation, the
expected and unexpected impacts and
solutions to deal with negative impacts.
 Monitoring of the planning process requires
an ongoing observation of the commitment
and interaction of all stakeholders.
 Iterative planning implies continuous
updating of land use plans. Questions arise as
to when, who and how the process is done.
Land Use Planning at Different Levels
Land Use Planning at Different Levels

 The actual distribution of roles will depend on the

existing legal and institutional frameworks as well as the
actual capacity at the local government level.
Deliverables of a planning process.
 Deliverables are the documents (including maps) that
are used to create the legal and regulatory framework
for development.
 The outputs of the planning process are combined to
create four broad categories of deliverables shown
below.
Planning Process for Urban Context

 Tends to be more complex and prone to

conflict and contestation.
 Land values are higher, property ownership is
more complex, and flexibility to change land
uses is often more limited.
 Has an immediate and highly visible impact
on urban land values.
 Stakeholder participation in urban areas is
relatively difficult due to diversity of interests,
sensitivity of residents to delays etc.
 Development control and regulation systems
are usually present in urban areas but tend to
be flawed and complicated.
Planning Process for Rural Context

 Settlements form a relatively small part of

the larger landscape.
 Land values are lower with ownership and
titling problems.
 Landuse plans need to respond more to
natural features, like geology, topography,
hydrology, and ecology.
 A landuse plan in a rural area may not
dramatically change land values.
 Institutional arrangements for regulating
development are non-existent in rural areas.
 Housing is usually designed and built by
owners themselves or by local builders.
Planning Process for Region Context

 Regional plans become relevant if there are

reconstruction requirements or vulnerability
mitigation issues that are spread over large,
geographically integrated areas.
 Regional plans are often developed with an
economic focus.
 Regional plans have to be complemented by
plans for the rural and urban areas within.
 A regional landuse plan will deal with macro-
level issues, like locations of settlements,
protection of forests, and management of
coastal zones, river basins, and floodplains.