Chapter 4Regional Planning Approach

4.1 Need of Region as Planning Unit

Region is a contiguous geographical area, which has a fair degree of uniformity, in administration, economic linkages or natural environment. It is relatively a large area, with hierarchy of settlements and varying landscape.

Urbanisation has accelerated in the past few decades while planning in India has been largely limited to urban settlements and the space between cities and their surroundings has been growing in an unplanned haphazard manner. Centrifugal forces attract huge volume of migrant population to urban centres, which has rendered short the planning efforts of local bodies. The resultant biases in demography have also had negative implications in the development at the source of migration. Thus, urban centres & its surrounding settlements have two-way interrelationship in terms of cause and effect of many elements. Accordingly, planning as an exercise should not be exclusively limited to urban settlements but a region can be identified to have holistic development of growth promoting centres and surrounding subsequent hierarchy of settlements. This should facilitate optimal planning and development of infrastructure in cities along with the adjoining rural areas and strengthen the economic links in the region.

The paradigm of regional development has evolved through the years after Independence. Most important ones are district planning, metropolitan planning, watershed management and special area development. The Planning Commission has also developed methods for regionalisation and policy guidance for preparation of development plans for regions. A number of such case studies have been taken up by the State Governments for development of special regions. Considering the importance of regional planning at the district level and with the view to integrating the urban and regional development, the DPC and MPC were created through the 73 $^{rd}$ and 74 $^{th}$ CAA.

The preliminary aspects of regional planning may constitute the following, which highlight the advantages of the approach:

1. Sustainability - Sustainability leads to balance in Regional Development which implies efficient use of available resources and opportunities for development in all parts of the region. Sustainability of regional planning depends upon:

i. Management of major environmental inputs namely water (both surface and ground), minerals, maintenance of green cover, protection of sensitive environmental areas and linking areas with special opportunities for development like religious, archaeological etc.

ii. Balanced and equitable spatial and economic development of the region

iii. Effective Use of local resources including cultural resources such as art & crafts. Sustainability based regional development can provide solutions for elevation of urban poverty, minimisation of urban sprawl and managing migration, which are majorly outcomes of lack of regional planning.

2. Environment – Some of the major environmental concerns that can be addressed by regional planning approach are the following:

i. Control of pollution specially water pollution, use and maintenance of the water courses.

ii. Maintenance of green cover, forests and eco fragile areas.

iii. Control and regulation of activities which have impact on environment.

While planning, the environmentally sensitive areas should be identified which are non-conducive for development. Such areas should be either protected or developed while following relevant standards.

3. Disaster Management – The impact of natural disasters is exaggerated by unscientific plus unplanned development. Regional development should promote efficient response and preparedness to disasters such as floods, landslides, land subsistence, fire and earthquake. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 makes it mandatory to prepare Disaster Management Plan at State and District level. Integration of hazard (micro) zoning in planning activities is more facilitative and responding at regional level which can be integrated with the provisions of NDMA. Zoning hazards and its holistic approach can be achieved largely at the regional level scale or better at city level. Thus, regional planning is the solution to integrated response.

4. Promoting Balanced Development - Imbalanced development of the country due to missing regional planning approach to bring development in urban-rural settlements simultaneously has led to lopsided development in favour of urban settlements. As a result centripetal and centrifugal forces of human movement have come to work with intensity in the urban parts of the country. Lack of integrated spatial planning specially in the influence area of metropolitan cities has led to ‘rural push’. Migration across administrative boundaries to the cities without adequate functional infrastructure to support the population puts pressure on the administrative departments. On the other hand the areas from where out-migration takes place suffer with imbalance growth. Thus, an integrated planning approach is required to provide administrative solution for provision of sustainable infrastructure in the region and vision development of the peri-urban areas & counter magnets.

5. Inclusivity – Regional planning can bring inclusivity in broader area by preparing plan after considering issues, strengths and prospects of a large spatial unit. Regional disparities especially peri-urban areas surrounding large cities and metropolitans present contrasting conditions both physically and social-economically. Regional planning can efficiently tackle the problem arising out of the transition of rural area into peri-urban and urban areas. Inclusive development principles can bridge the gap present in terms of regional disparity in India.