The Planning Process:

Socioeconomic aspects of planning

ARCH 305 Architecture and Town Planning

DR IRFAN AHMAD RANA

 Week 1: Review

• What is planning/town planning?

• What are the aims of planning?
• What are the levels of planning?
• Why we need planning?
 Contents
• The Planning Process
• Socioeconomic aspects of planning
• Acceptability
• Accessibility
• Affordability
• Usability
• Suitability
• Forms of Planning
The Planning Process
 Revisiting Planning
• Planning is a rational process for formulating
and meeting objectives
• The formulation of objectives, therefore, is an
essential task that must be undertaken before
plans can be prepared
 Basic Concepts and Definitions
• Objective: a goal or end toward the
attainment of which plans and policies are
directed
• Principle: a fundamental, primary, or generally
accepted tenet/idea used to support
objectives and prepare standards and plans
• Standard: a criterion used as a basis of
comparison to determine the adequacy of
plan proposals to attain objectives
 Basic Concepts and Definitions
• Plan: a design that seeks to achieve
agreed upon objectives
• Policy: a rule or course of action used to
ensure plan implementation
• Program: a coordinated series of policies
and actions to carry out a plan
 The Planning Process
1. Determine objectives
2. Analyze existing situation
3. Consider alternative courses of action
4. Select the best course of action
5. Devise detailed procedures for carrying out
the selected course of action
Socioeconomic Aspect of Planning
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(1)
• The economic climate of a city is largely
determined by physical infrastructure and social
policies.
• Urban Planners/Engineers commonly deal with
“physical infrastructure” likes of
• Construction of road/highways
• Planning of new cities, neighborhoods
• Construction of civic facilities
• Municipals facilities
• Powers stations etc
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(2)
• Most physical infrastructure projects directly or
indirectly affected by socioeconomic dynamics, i.e.,
social processes around waste management and
recycling
– The physical part may just be a bin and the data needed
about waste quantities, density, type and this will help in
deciding the size and material of the bin.
– The challenging part of engineering involves understanding
attitudes, behaviors and reactions of people using this
simple technology regularly, leading to a much larger
outcome of recycling targets and resource conservation.
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(3)
• Planning practices and research need to have a
better understanding of the social processes which
have a sustainable impact on their physical
infrastructure.

• All residents should have equitable access to

resources, such as housing and water, the absence of
which can lead to unhygienic and dangerous living
conditions and more importantly Regional Conflicts
and Disparities.
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(4)
• The physical form is a variable of the social
and built pattern of the city.
–Acceptability
–Accessibility
–Affordability
–Usability
–Suitability
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(5)
Acceptability: satisfactoriness by virtue of
conforming to approved standards
– Acceptability is a Dynamic Process
• Acceptability does not end with a particular outcome or result; rather it is an
ongoing process.
– Community: acceptance of various project by various
affected communities i.e. Kalabagh Dam
– Socio-Political: satisfied the existing socio-political
norms
– Cultural: must incorporates the cultural values
– Gender: gender and acceptability has become crucial
in planning
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(6)
Accessibility is the degree to which a product,
device, service, or environment is available to
as many people as possible.
– Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to
access" and benefit from some system or entity.
– It is more related with deprived population.
– Mode of accessibility
• Transportation
• Hierarchy of services
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(7)
Affordability: The extent to which something
is affordable, as measured by its cost relative to
the amount that the purchaser is able to pay;
e.g., affordable housing, green technologies, solar
energy etc

– Factors influencing affordability

• Income level
• Household size
• Geographic variation
• others
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(8)
Usability is the ease of use and learnability of a
projects and policies.
– The primary notion of usability is that an
object designed with a generalize users’
psychology i.e.,
• More efficient to use—takes less time to
accomplish a particular task
• Easier to learn—operation can be learned by
observing the object
• More satisfying to use
Socioeconomic aspects of planning(9)
Suitability: the quality of having the properties
that are right for a specific purpose

– Purposeful allocation of land and recourses

– Suitability analysis: site analysis

– Suitability depends upon social, economic,

environmental, geo-political, cultural factors.

– For example: suitable site for an airport

 Socioeconomic aspects of planning(10)
Social acceptability
Utility

Usefulness
System acceptability

Easy to learn
Usability

Efficient to use

Practical
Easy to remember
acceptability Cost

Few errors
Compatibility
Subjectively pleasing
Reliability

Etc. (performance, manageability…)

Forms of Planning
 Forms of Planning (1)
• Land use planning is a public policy exercise that
designates and regulates the use of land.
• The final outcome of Land use planning is
document/plan that highlights
– allocation and zoning of land for specific uses
– regulation of the intensity of use, and
– formulation of legal and administrative instruments that
support the plan
 Forms of Planning (2)
• Physical Planning
• It is the planning of an area’s physical
structure/ land use, communication,
transportation, municipal utilities and others.
• It uses land use plan as a framework to ensure
optimal physical infrastructure in an area.
• It is more concentrated on provincial level/
district level.
 Forms of Planning (3)
Allocative Planning
• It is a kind of regulatory planning.
• It is concerned with co-ordination, the resolution of
conflicts to ensure efficiency through evolving policies.
• It works to enhance the functionalities of the existing
system.
 Short-term to ensure stabilization of up and downs of the economy.
• For example:
– National level fiscal and monetary polices i.e. fixation of
change in oil prices on monthly bases.
 Forms of Planning (4)
Multi or single Objective Planning
• Every type of planning has some goals/objectives
to achieve.
• Planning may have single or multiple goals or
objectives.

Any idea about Goal and Objectives

 Forms of Planning (4)
Multi or single Objective Planning
• A goal is an idea and is expressed in abstract term
i.e.
– to improve the public transport in Islamabad
– to improve the social status of the people of Pakistan

• An objective is more specific and is capable of

both attainment and measurement. i.e.
– to upgrade government high school to degree college
etc.
 Forms of Planning (5)
Indicative and imperative planning is concerned with
methods related to implementation of planning/plans.
• Indicative planning
– It merely lay down general guidelines.
– It is advisory in nature i.e. policy document
• Imperative planning
– It is more guided and involves specific directives or
procedures i.e.
– Environment Assessment Mechanism
– Map approval procedures
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