Lecture on Town Planning, Levels of Planning and Development plan

TOWN PLANNING
It is the term used to indicate the arrangement of various components or units of a town in such
a way that the town as such attains the significance of a living organism. It involves collecting,
correlating and analysing the data.

OBJECTIVES OF TOWN PLANNING

1. Beauty
2. Convenience
3. Environment
4. Health

PRINCIPLES OF TOWN PLANNING

1. Green belt – Limitation of town size
2. Housing – Accommodation to various categories of people
3. Public buildings – well balanced grouping and distribution
4. Recreation centres – Social binding
5. Road systems – Layout of its road
6. Transport facilities – Minimum loss of time
7. Zoning – Commercial zone, Industrial zone, residential zone, etc.

LEVELS OF PLANNING
To maintain the continuity in the planning process, following Levels of planning are
considered;
1.Local planning
2.Country planning
3.Regional planning
4.National planning
5.International planning

Local Planning
• Planning is based on creation of healthful living and working environment for the
majority of the inhabitants of the town with due consideration to the physical
background, economic limitations, public administration, finance and change in
technology, etc.
• The development plan for city or town aims at proper distribution of population
densities, regulation of green belts, suitable division of the area in various zone.

Country Planning
• The planning aims at surrounding a town.
• A town is surrounded by villages and rural planning becomes necessary for the proper
functioning of town.
• For this, surrounding villages should be linked up with suitable transport facilities.
• Encouragement should be given for the growth of small scale industries such as dairy,
poultry forming, basket and rope making, hand looms etc.
• Planning aims to achieve proper balance between agriculture and industries.
Regional Planning
• Regional planning helps in controlling and reshaping major towns in the region.
• Term region is used to define as an area separated not merely or exclusively by natural
boundaries but equally by political or administrative boundaries.
• Four methods of determining a region is advocated;
1.Geographic boundaries,
2.Economic considerations,
3.Administrative convenience, and
4.Metropolitan influence.

Regional Planning: -avoids the wasteful duplication of facilities,

-ensures the most profitable utilization of the resources at minimum expense
for the maximum benefit,
-provides information regarding the economic functions,
-grants mutual control over the areas in the region,
-grants planned and harmonious development,
-involves planning in terms of regional dimensions,
-reveals new town-planning and building principles,
-serves as a link of co-operation and co-ordination between the areas of the
region.

Note: Country planning cannot be divorced from town and regional planning, because town
and country are not two separate entities but are complementary to each other.

National planning
• National planning involves careful study of the social, education, economic, industrial
and other problems facing a country and suggests measures to be adopted to obtain
realistic solution thereto.
• It accounts for country’s existing and potential resources in men, materials, power,
manufacturing industry, etc. and draw out a phased programme of action for achieving
the targets set in the various spheres of activity. Whole country is considered as a single
unit and an overall picture of development is kept in view, while striving to strike a
balance between the various states In India, the various five year plans are an example
of National Planning.

Vision of National Planning:

1. Development of nation in terms of its administrative or political system.
2. Development of various economic sectors such as agriculture, fishing, mining,
quarrying, etc.
3. Developments in terms of social sector such as clothing, housing, food, education,
health, employment, recreation, etc.
4. Development at various level i.e. international level to local level or vice versa.

International planning
International planning came in to picture with the formation of United Nation Organization
(UNO). It involves numerous study and surveys in the fields such as health, education,
housing, food and agriculture. The studies help in finding out remedies and solutions of
complicated problems at an international level. Examples- UNESCO, WHO, LIC, SUMMIT,
SAARC, UNISEF, etc.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Objectives of Development Plan

• It arranges the pattern of a town in such a way so as to satisfy the present requirements
without introduction of future improvements by the coming generations.
• It restricts haphazard and unplanned growth.
• It helps to bring harmony & understanding between the different groups of the people.
• It removes the defects of uncoordinated physical growth.
• It serves as a guide to the planning body for making any recommendations for public
improvement.
• It stimulates wider interest in community problems.
• It coordinates the physical, economic, social & political forces that govern the structure
of the community.
• It formulates long term & short term action programs with a view to injecting long term
considerations into short term actions.

Necessity of Development Plan

1. To control the development of various industries in a systematic way
2. To discourage the unplanned growth
3. It serves an overall picture and program for the future development
4. To offset the evils which have come up due to overcrowding of population such as acute
shortage of houses, traffic congestion, inadequate open spaces and insufficiency in
public amenities; etc.

Data to be Collected for Development Plan

• Details of trades and industries
• Development of airports
• Environments of site
• Facilities of transport
• Geological conditions of the site
• Land values and land use pattern
• Locations of spots of natural beauty
• Locations of water supply units
• Meteorological details such as intensity and direction of wind, temperature, rainfall,
etc.
• Mineral resources
• Places of historical origin
• Political position of the surrounding area
• Population
• Requirements for railway stations, goods yards and shipping facilities
5. Special requirements for power houses, gas works, sewage disposal plant and storm
water drainage.
Drawings to be Prepared
1.Boundaries of land of different types such as residential, agricultural, industrial, etc.
2.Boundary of green belt around the town
3.Contours of the whole city
4.Different zones
5.Landscape features
6.Locations of public buildings and town centres
7.Open spaces including parks and playgrounds
8.Positions of natural springs, rivers and streams
9.Positions of public utility services such as water supply station, sewage disposal plant, power
plant, etc.
10.Present and proposed communication systems, etc.

Features of Development Plan

Three fundamental: “amenity, convenience and health”
• Convenience and cheap means of transport
• Good sanitation and water supply
• Open air spaces o Population density control
• Proper situations for places of worship, education & recreation
• Rational layout
• Requirement and Distribution of Land (Land Use Pattern)
• Width of roads etc.

Stages of Preparation
Steps followed for the preparation are:
1. Planning department of the local government
2. Specialized planning organization
3. A consultant
4. State town planning department
5. Collection of data and relevant information from civic survey and other sources.
6. Preparation of a tentative draft of the development plan and notifying the same for
comments, suggestions and discussions from experts and the public.
7. Considerations of views received from experts and the public with sympathy and without
any prejudice.
8. Preparation of the revised development plan accommodating the good aspects of comments
received from experts and the public.
9. Determination of the sequence in which the development plan will be implemented.