PLANNING APPROACHES IN

NEPAL
LAND USE PLANNING

 Land as a resource
 Land as public good

 Land policy is a part of the public policy pursued by the

administration
 Covers questions >> land ownership, its distribution and
transfer, land price, appropriation of unearned land
values and other matters related to land
 Land use planning>> a tool created through legislation to
steer the use of land to advance specified elements
 Comprehensive regulatory physical plan

 Land classified according to function>> agriculture,

commerce, industry, communication, etc.
 Through land use planning>>a nation, a region or a
locality strives to steer future development of land uses
pattern and physical environment in a desirable
direction.
 To make land use planning work>> the institution
involved (both private and public) should be capable of
effectively using planning instruments and approaches.
MASTER PLAN APPROACH

 Comprehensive plan>> vast and complicated

 Related to physical, social and cultural things >> to be planned

 Has statutory basis

 Set of maps, charts and explanatory report

 Analysis of existing situation>> suggesting broad development

policies>> intended to improve the existing conditions and to
control the future growth of the town in a co-ordinated manner
 These plans shows permissible uses of private and public land
with zoning legislation and by-laws land use which specify
land use categories, densities, building heights, setbacks and
other physical standards
 Futuristic plan>> 15-20 yrs>> land use and infrastructure
pattern of a city
 Covers city and influential area

 Should be elastic
DRAWBACKS OF MASTER PLAN
 Too static in nature>> takes too long time to prepare
 Extremely costly

 Seldom evaluates cost of development and how to be

financed
 Seldom based on local needs and people’s participation

 Seldom provide compelling rationale or detail

 If not updated >> difficult to amend

 Objects needs to be reconsidered>> as it is a long term

plan
STRUCTURE PLAN
 Maps and explanatory text providing overall policies
rather than all the details
 Reduce shortcomings of master plan

 Broad policy extend and direction >> developmental

infrastructure.
 Location of major technical and social facilities etc or at
least the standards for those which help preparing detail
plans and layouts of development of large pocket of
lands.
 Incorporate large areas>> interpreted regional policies
 Not static or rigid>> change with the situation

 Prepared for longer period of time>> 15-20 yrs>>

revision on each 5 yrs
 Provides basis of co-ordination and investments of
different agencies
 1988 and 1991>> 33 municipalities >>DUDBC
LOCAL AREA PLAN OR LOCAL ACTION
PLAN

 Can be statutory or non statutory

 Prepared when development in an area starts taking place
rapidly
 Generally prepared or adopted by local government or
planning office
 Should follow structure plan

 Time frame>> 1-5 yrs

 Plan>> indicate most desirable or preferred pattern of
land development through area-specific policies such as
upgrading, redeveloment, new land development,
conservation areas and action areas.
 Provides statutory basis for development control and
opportunity for raising or bringing out planning issues
before public, help involvement of the public and to
some extent helping private versus community interest
ACTION AREA PLAN
 More detailed version of Local area plan prepared for the
comprehensive treatment of an area>> which have been
selected for intensive change over a short time period
typically 3 yrs.
 Suitable for the major development need>> e.g.
alleviation of flooding or development potential (e.g.
commercial centers, redevelopment or upgrading
areas)
 They are implementation focused, and will frequently
transcend local administrative/ political boundaries
 INTEGRATED ACTION PLAN(IAP)
 More relevant in present situation and gaining popularity
 Problems are identified through rapid data collection and analysis

 Program focuses on analysis of the existing projects, resource

assessment, institution assessment and goal and policy analysis.
 Used to respond to the emerging challenges of rapid urbanization
and community consultation and participation.
 Community driven, highly participatory and local need based
planning process designed to facilitate municipal development
through the identification of implementable and realistic projects
integrated into both multi-sectoral investment
plan(MSIP) and physical and environmental
development plan(PEDP) for the municipality
 IAP has much lesser emphasis on long term and physical
aspect >>much more emphasis on implement ability and
for that purpose the involvement of the people, the
concerned agencies and the finance feasibility.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
 Final approach>> covering “integrated urban
development approach” >> brings together physical
planning, investment planning, resource projections and
institutional requirements
 Aims to meet the city overall development needs and
expectations the given constraints
 These constraints could be staff limitations, financial shortfall
 Strategic planning in the process of its formulation
relies heavily on proper project planning inputs.
PLANNING EFFORTS IN NEPAL

 RAJBIRAJ
 First planned settlement >> modern Nepal
 1944>> district headquarter shifted from Hanuman
Nagar to Rajbiraj
 Hanuman Nagar>> threatened by Koshi river flooding

 Planned with
 Grid iron pattern
 Central spaces occupied by administrative buildings
 Organized street pattern in the central part

 Now looks like over grown center and expanding out

along access lines.
KATHMANDU BEAUTIFICATION
 Visit of Britain queen’s Elizabeth>>1962>> superficial
visual improvements

 Focused the need of urban renewal programs for

Kathmandu valley
SAVING KATHMANDU MONUMENTS
 1962>> UN technical assistance>>set up>> Nepal town
planning office for Kathmandu valley
 P.O.
Lefvert demarking traditional town core as
“Monumental Area”
 1963>> town development committee act was brought to
fore
 1964>>F.Vortner>> drew up building code for protection
of historical core and buildings.
THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
FOR KATHMANDU VALLEY-1969
 First comprehensive plan
 Govt. of Nepal with assistance of UN expert Carl Pruscha
reviewed the overall situation of Kathmandu valley
 The objectives of physical plan were

 To preserve the historical and present image of the valley

 To preserve valuable agricultural land
 To device efficient transportation system
 To reduce the density of congested area
 Raise low densities to efficient densities
 Propose efficient urban renewal program
 To formulate programs for development of villages in the valley
 To prepare a land use map to be useful over the next 20 years
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

 Fourth five year plan(1970-1975) came with the concept of

regional development strategy >> leading to the division
of the country with the 5 development regions >> each
built with a major growth center and subsidiary growth
centers
 North-south growth axis >> development corridor>>
linking ecologically diverse regions

 Strong resource support of HMG>>with the view of

complimentary economic development of mountains,
hills and Terai geographic regions
 Planned as administrative center, the town aimed to
provide educational, commercial and touristic facilities

 Structural plan>> road network and land uses

 Birendra Nagar, Pokhara, Dhankuta, Kathmandu
TOWN DEVELOPMENT ACT 1973
 To provide legal authority to Town planning
implementation committee
 Main aim>> To guide urban development

 Delayed to prepare rules and regulations>> haphazard

development>> Beyond urban boundaries
 In retrospection>> haphazard grew beyond municipal
boundaries
BHAKTAPUR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
 Mixed development and conservation project
 Completed in 15 years in 1987

 Technical and financial help from GTZ (Germany)

 New industrial district, ring road development, sewerage

treatment and renewal of basic services and buildings
were undertaken
RING ROAD PLAN 1975
 Main plan: enhance linkages, reduce octopus growth and
provide high speed transit in the valley
 After the completion of the project>> the core area the
city core area automatically expanded up to the ring road
LAND USE PLAN FOR KATHMANDU
VALLEY-1976
 Was based on 1973 physical development plan>> was
prepared by building department
 KVTDC was formulated with the approval of the plan
and the corresponding by-laws related to land use
planning and building control
KATHMANDU VALLEY PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT-1984
 Prepared by Kathmandu valley town team >> included
the land use plan and zoning regulations within the ring
road
KATHMANDU VALLEY URBAN POLICY
STUDY-1986
 Comprehensive study on the former plans, programs and
policies,
 Recommended the policies to improve the situation of
Kathmandu Valley
STRUCTURE PLAN 1987
 with assistance of UNDP and world bank>> HMG
prepared a structure plan for Greater Kathmandu
(Kathmandu and Lalitpur)>>1987

 Goal>>to provide the guidelines for the physical

development of metropolitan Kathmandu
 Projected to accommodate growth up to 2010 A.D

 Zoning>>to preserve the agricultural land and

environmental sensitive lands
The main strategies of this plan were proposed as:

 To focus the future development on tar area

 To preserve the agricultural land through not
providing the access
 To protect the flood plains from urbanization and for
green space
 To allocate and manage the public land in effective
way
 To prepare land use plan based on current
urbanization trend
KATHMANDU VALLEY TOWN DEVELOPMENT
COMMITTEE 1997 ONWARDS
 Committee preparing>> the new land use map for the
valley under the direction of Kathmandu valley
development council
OTHER LOCAL AREA PLANNING
 LAP addresses>> land use infrastructure and investment
programs and development controls
 Emphasis on local priority needs>>Social sector,
physical elements and infrastructure
 Plan focused on small area>> Bishnumati corridor

 Eg>> site and services, guided land development, land

pooling
Thank you