Regional Planning
B.A. Sem- II GEOG GE 202
Regional Planning And Development
Unit- 4
Ms. Aishwarya Raj
(Department of Geography)
Planning is defined as an organized
process by which a society achieves its
developmental goals.
In other words, it is a means to achieve
development , but when the goals of
PLANNING development are distorted or unclear,
planning also becomes a distorted
exercise.
Planning Commission in India was set
up in March 1950, to prepare a plan for
the most effective and balanced
utilization of the country’s resources.
Regional plans
Regional planning is a category of planning and
development that deals with designing and
placing infrastructure and other elements across
a large area. Planning zones may include several
towns, cities or even parts of different states or
regions.
The Regional Plans set the framework, vision
and direction for strategic planning and land
use, planning for future needs for housing, jobs,
infrastructure, a healthy environment and
connected communities.
TYPES OF PLANNING
PLANNING
TEMPORAL SECTORAL SPATIAL
TEMPORAL PLANNING
It is also known as time perspective planning. In
India plans are made for a period of time like 5
year plans, annual plans, 10/15/20 year plans.
Temporal
planning
Long term Short term
Long term planning- perspective planning refers
to long term planning in which long range
targets are set in advance like 15/20/25 years. It
is a blue print of development to be undertaken
over a longer period.
A perspective plan does not imply one plan for
the entire period of 15 to 20 years. In reality the
broader objective and targets that are to be
achieved within specified period are mentioned
in perspective planning.
Demerits-In such a plan rigid necessary or
desirable adjustments to unforeseen changes
cannot be made.
Short term planning- it implies the splitting
up of a long term plan into short term.
Merits-In such plans adjustments can be
made according to the changing
circumstances of the country.
Demerits- In such plans, there are many
issues to be achieved annually as well as in
5 year plans. Sometimes, few objectives
take a lot of time in implementation
through the grass root level and due to
scarcity of time those objectives cannot be
achieved.
SECTORAL PLANNING
It is based on development of various economic
activities such as primary, secondary, tertiary and
quaternary economic sectors.
It concentrates on development of a particular
sector by formulating and implementing a set of
schemes or programmes.
It means spatial planning of a single sector.
In fact it has been observed that since the first five
year plan, sectoral plans integrated into single
whole, have been implemented in a framework.
Few sectors have been mentioned below, such as
economic, infrastructure and social.
ECONOMIC SECTORS
Agriculture Manufacturing Tourism
Public
Commerce Finance
Administration
SOCIAL SECTORS
Education Health
Social Welfare
and Social
Services
INFRASTRUCTURE
SECTORS
Construction Electricity Water
Transport Communication
SPATIAL PLANNING
The main objective of spatial planning in balanced
regional development. In spatial planning special
schemes are initiated for the development of problem
areas.
In 1957, government of few states made specific
provision for the development of backward regions.
The fourth plan proposed a multidirectional area
development approach in order to accelerate the pace
of development of backward regions.
Each backward region has its own set of problems
for which uniform plans at national level cannot be
imposed, therefore the backward areas were grouped
broadly into 2 categories.
A) Areas with unfavourable physiographic conditions,
terrain, climate and regions inhabited by people with
typical cultural characteristics such as- hilly areas,
drought prone areas, tribal areas.
B) Economically backward areas marked by adverse
land man ratios, lack of infrastructure or inadequate
development resource potentials.
For the study of regional imbalances, the National
Development Council in the year 1968 decided to set
up 2 working groups by the Planning Commission-
i) one for recommending the criteria for the
identification of backward areas under the
chairmanship of B. D. Pande.
ii) Second for recommending the fiscal and financial
incentives in the backward areas was set up under the
chairmanship of N.N Wanchoo.
Spatial Programmes include-
1. Watershed Development Programme, also
known as Hariyali Project since 2003 is a
combination of a) Drought Prone Area
Programme b) Desert Development Plan c)
Integrated Wasteland Development Programme.
2. Tribal Area Development
3. Hill Area Development
4. Metropolitan Area Development
5. River Basin as Planning Region
NEED FOR REGIONAL PLANS
In a developing country like India, balanced regional
development is required on the following ground:
• Maintaining political stability- continuation of regional
disparities may lead to discontentment in the minds of
people, which may adversely effect the national
solidarity.
• Overcoming social evils-Overconcentration of
population in some developed areas or more particularly
industrial areas may lead to social evils like
overcrowding, noise, congestion, pollution, insanitation
decreasing law and order. All these social evils can be
removed by attaining regional development.
• Smooth development of economy-Through
balanced regional development all the regions of
the country would develop equally so that they
can help each other.
• Developing and conserving resources- the aim
of regional development should be to secure
maximum efficiency in the utilization of
available resources e.g minerals, forests,
agricultural and human resources etc.
Increase in migration, decreases efficiency, results in
undue waste of resources and a region might find it
difficult to meet its needs. So,with a plan , issue of
migration could be solved to an great extent because the
required facilities are more evenly distributed rather than
being concentrated in a specific urban area.
To prevent economic as well as functional imbalance
regional plans are very much required.
It helps in reducing disparities, promoting growth,
promoting sustainable development, economic growth of
the collective region based on its potential.
The regional plans ensure a much better connectivity
within the region and take care of future growth.
