Intro. to Urban Planning Principles #02

PLANNING PROCESS AND THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES

The common general principles applied in the planning process consist of four principles which are efficiency, environmental values, equality and community. These four principles should be the base consideration on determining the objectives and goals on the planning process. When talking about these goals and objectives, there are important actions need to be implemented.

1. The envisioning. The Envisioning exist in the two major time domain, the present and the future. The relations among aspects of consideration in the present and for the future should be clearly identified. There are three basic questions that need a definitive answer in attempt getting the clear vision and define the clear relations among aspects,
- What? ‘What should the future be like?’ To identify the goals as the point to go.
- Where?‘Where are we now?’ To identify our position in terms of geography, natural resource base, demographics, major employers etc. Some methodologies of research/data collection, community profiling are involved here; ‘Where are we going?’Analyzing the trends of the current and future, do assessment of the future impacts and creating the trend statement are several steps on identifying the possible alternatives to get the goals; ‘Where do we want to be?’ This is the goal where the vision statement boldly defined. In order to get the possible solutions, community involvement is a must.Organizing meetings, public hearing are some of the methods here.
- How? ‘How do we get there?’ Here, the action plan is being developed. Include activities here such as identifying goals, actions, implementation agenda etc.

2. The Plan Generation, that deals with identifying the urban problem issues. Including within is managing the uncertainties, generating alternatives (search and design).

3. Plan Evaluation, to ensure the continous refinement along the process. Some terms that defined here in the process includes scenario, options/alternatives, criteria, effects & impacts, assessment, weighting, sensitivity and decision making. Several methods of evaluation such as checklist approach, cost-benefits analysis, goals achievement matrix etc can be applied for various project scale. We need to know that not every evaluation making impacts. It simply because the evaluation process is not a scientific assessment and the interests are paramount.

4. Decision Making, which usually there are three different approaches on making decision. Rational model that you hardly can gather all the information since everything is not always about rational, the beaureucratic model and the political bargaining model.

5. Plan Implementation, which implement for the public sector. The three modes of delivery of public works are conventionally financed projects, Build & Operate (BO) and Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT).

6. Development Control, as control tool for private sector, as a mechanism to implement the planning vision and intentions, to control disease and public health and resolving conflicts.

This whole process arouses questions which mostly questioning the authority of who should make the call on what to act upon, who control this collaborative process who makes the translation to written documents etc. We can see here that political issue is one of the agenda involved in the process. For what and for whom does this process supposed to serve to?

For it involves scientific judgement of research, analysis, evaluation etc and also creative activities of making alternatives and imaginative insights, this plan making and the process is considered as an art activity. And it has bought the planners with various label, as a projector who projects the future need, an analyst, a spokesperson, a public advisor, a consensus builder, a collaborator etc.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG

Since the ceeding of Hong Kong island in 1842 declared in the Nanjing Treaty, Hong Kong urban
development has been through major milestones. In 1898, the second Beijing Conference resulted on the leasing of the New Territories from the British Government for 99 years, which later than marked the set up of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in 1997 after the treaty was off. During the 1950s, known as transfered industrialization era, Hong Kong was having a new economy state. The refugee after the PRC was declared gave lots of labor skill and capital to Hong Kong that support well the economy growth at that time. In 1953, the Urban Planning Office was established, followed then by the built of the first generation of new town Tsuen Wan six years later.The setting up of the Land Development in 1988 marked the era of the 1960s and 1980s as the era where the Hong Kong having the socio-economic restructuring. The development continues to the state of re-engineering where reclamation, urban renewal, new towns, walled cities, heritage conservation have given images of Hong Kong’s urban development from 1990s untill now.

The current issue facing by the Urban Planning practice in Hong Kong relies in the very simple –yet need comprehensive study- question of,
1. Where to be for the next development? Another reclamation project? Urban renewal?
2. What do mostly people need? Is it housing? Leisures?
3. Who should initiate, participate, control? Government, public-private partnership or public?
4. How are the physical development should be directed? The urban form, the density, the pedestrian.

Based on the notion that the people should have the right on determining the quality of space they live in, therefore the public participation is one of the most important thing in the planning process. Several planning projects in Hong Kong have gained valuable inputs from the public. The old airport of Kai Tak review, the relocation of Queen’s Pier are some of the projects involving the community.

PLANNING SYSTEM IN HONG KONG

The hierarchy of planning is divided into three major level based on the geographical territory.
1. The Territorial/Strategic level which deal with the Territorial Development Strategy (TDS), Hong Kong 2030 is the vision develop within the TDS.
2. The Sub-Regional Level which deal with the Sub-Regional development, divided into 5 Subregion, metropolitan area and the 4 new territories development.
3. The District/Local Level which providing the Outline Zoning Plan (OZP), the Develeopment Permission Area Plan (DPA), the Outline Development Plan (ODP) and the Layout Plan (LP).

The plan on the whole level have to be in planning principles corridor of people-oriented, sustaianable development and environmentally friendly.

REFERENCE :

Ng, M. K. (2008), "General Principles Involved in the Planning Process," Presentation Slide in the class of Introduction to Urban Planning Principles, Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong
Ng, M. K. (2008), "Urban Planning and Development in Hong Kong," Presentation Slide in the class of Introduction to Urban Planning Principles, Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong
Ng, M. K. (2008), "Planning System and Administration in Hong Kong: From Strategic to Local Planning" Presentation Slide in the class of Introduction to Urban Planning Principles, Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong
http://indonesiaurbanstudies.blogspot.com/2007/07/challenges-for-planning-in-indonesia.html