SSR3033:

Theories & Techniques of Regional

Planning

Regional Planning and Regional Policy

19th and 20th September 2016

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 Objectives
• To identify the rationale of planning and the
different types of planning
• To explain the concept of regional planning
• To discuss the scope and content of regional
planning activities
 Introduction to Planning
• Planning – the
making of an orderly
sequence of action
that will lead to the
achievement of
stated goal, which
require techniques…

• Planning – also a
development control Managing development & balancing
the economic, social and
tool environmental aims & objectives
 Video – 9 minutes
Town Planning - 1948 British Government
Educational Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQNju88K
bE

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Definitions of planning (various)
“is a process of formulating and clarifying social
objectives in the ordering of activities in supra-
urban space – i.e. in any area larger than a single
city”
Friedmann, 1963 in Wannop, 1995

“public sector activities encompassing economic,

social and physical elements to formulate and
implement appropriate public policy in an area
covering more than one existing jurisdiction”
(Hilhorst, 1971 in Mohd Yaakub Johari, 1992)
 Steps in planning
1. Identify problems / needs
2. Formulation of general objectives and
specific objectives
3. Identify obstacles
4. Forecasting result

5. Identify and evaluating alternatives

6. Develop plan that will benefit both the
government and the people.
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 Rationale of planning
• Preparation of sequential action to overcome predicted future
needs / problems. Planning is needed to fulfil the effect of
dynamic changes:
– Time
– Society – Complex and volatile entity
– Economy- the efficiency of resources allocation and utilization
to all parties
– Politics – Power allocated to serve the government and the
people. The need of both parties should be fulfilled
accordingly.
 Constantly evaluated!
• Planning requires a constant evaluation of what
has happened in terms of implementation and
making necessary refinements to ensure that
desired results are achieved.
• Also must be continually adapted and respond to
changes in population, housing, and the economy
that are influenced by transportation, utility,
business, and regulatory changes beyond
community control.

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 Advantage of planning
1. Helps local government insure adequate
services for its citizens; and minimizes costs for
Town funded projects.
– As an example, proper planning will prevent
ripping up a road just paved to install new water
lines. With planning, the water lines would be
installed before the road was paved, thus
preventing the re-work.

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 Other advantages of planning

• Establishes and preserves acceptable land and water use

patterns for agriculture, business, industries, communities,
recreation and highways.
• Assists in preventing premature urbanization and
overcrowding of areas, which would result in increased
demands for services and facilities and the need for higher
taxes to support these facilities and services.

• Subdivision control

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 Subdivision
• Subdivision control -
acts as a preventative
measure guarding
against improper lot
layout and inadequate
subdivision
preparation.

• Also serves to promote and ensure the orderly development of

the land within the town in order that the land, when
subdivided, may be used for building purposes without danger
to the public health, safety and general welfare of the town.
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 Types of planning
• Physical Planning
• Economic Planning
• Allocative Planning
• Innovative Planning
• Indicative Planning
• Imperative Planning
 Physical vs Economic Planning
 Physical Planning • Economic Planning
 Related to the ordering of
space – landuse,
infrastructure network,
new town/ settlement
 As basis for development
control mechanism
 Planning of a new town
by Urban Development
Agency (UDA)
• Focusing on economic
structure of an area &
its overall economic
performance
• Related to resource
allocation and
distribution
• Resource planning by
State Economic
Planning Unit
Example of physical planning

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City 14

 Allocative vs Innovative Planning
• Allocative (Peruntukan)
• Emphasis on conflict solving (in
line with policy changes)
• Also a control mechanism;
based on functions and
priorities
• E.g. controlling resource
allocation when there are
changes in financial/ economic
policies
• Example of Allocative planning:
New Economic Plan (NEP) and
development of public housing
to allow the low income group
to also having opportunity to
own a house
 Innovative (Pembaharuan)
 Not just looking at function and
efficiency, but also involve
improvement to the system
 Renewal of ideas & allows
changes
 Example: Development of LRT
system in Kuala Lumpur to
overcome the problem of
vehicle overcrowding OR, the
opening of small medium
industries in the rural areas to
create more job opportunities
 Indicative vs Imperative Planning
• Indicative Planning
 Imperative Planning
• Advisory in nature,
involve general  Order through Act and
guidelines specific Guidelines
• E.g. policies in Malaysia  E.g. Town & Country
Plan Planning Act 1974
• RM ke-7 : To introduce
basic economic activities
and to establish modern
facilities throughout the
states; RM ke-8 : To
economically improve
the less developed
states
 Regional Planning
• is planning for a geographic area that
transcends the boundaries of individual
governmental units
– but that shares common social, economic,
political, cultural, and natural resources, and
transportation characteristics.

The keyword is “strategic issue”

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 Regional planning agency
• A regional planning agency prepares plans that serve as
a framework for planning by local governments and
special districts.
• Sometimes have direct regulatory authority in that
they not only prepare plans, but also administer land-
use controls through subdivision review and zoning
recommendations, review proposals for major
developments whose impacts may cross jurisdictional
borders, and review and certify local plans.
• In some cases, they directly implement the regional
plan, as in the operation of regional transit systems.

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 Reasons for regional planning
• address issues that cut across jurisdictional
boundaries;
• providing information, technical assistance, and
training; coordinating efforts (intergovernment),
especially that involve federal funding;
• articulation of local interests and perspectives to
other levels of government.
• and providing a two-way conduit between
member governments and the state and federal
agencies.
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 Objects and subjects of regional development
Level/ Scale Objects Subjects
People Individuals Education
Households Homecare services
Families Childcare services
Spaces, places and Neighbourhoods Neighbourhood renewal
territories
Communities Community regeneration
Villages Rural diversification
Cities Growth strategies
Region Regional economic strategies
Nation Regional development

Adapted from Pike (2006, pp. 49)

 Regional Planning
• Primary purpose: general distribution of
resources, activities and development
• Territorial competition (therefore territorial
approach to development)
• E.g. regional co-ordination of transportation
and landuse; regional sharing of resources,
regional growth control;
 Regional definition (Malaysian context)
In general, a region is defined as an area covering two or
more administrative boundaries.

The Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172)

defines a region as an area comprising of two or more
states.

In the 9th Malaysia Plan are the National Economic

Regional Corridor covering an area of more than 2 states:
the Northern Corridor Economic Region, Central Region,
Eastern Corridor Economic Region and Southern Johor
Economic Region (Iskandar Development Region).
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• The National Physical Plan (NPP) has identified four (4)
Conurbations or City Regions that shall be planned and
developed as integrated regions,
– Klang Valley Conurbation
– George Town Conurbation
– Kuantan Conurbation
– the Johor Bahru Conurbation (Iskandar Development
Region).

Source:
Federal Department of Town and Country Planning

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 Regional planning in Malaysia
A Regional Plan –
(i) document containing spatial development strategies
(ii) a tool for managing the growth and development of city regions or conurbations.

Purpose of the plan: for a more balanced and fair distribution of growth and dispersal
of development as well as to achieve an integrated and efficient infrastructural
framework.

There are two levels of Regional Planning, which are; a Regional Plan for the National
Economic Corridor Region and a Regional Plan for a Conurbation/City Region. The
main focus in a National Economic Corridor Region The Regional Plan for a
Conurbations/City Region

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 Two levels of regional planning
• a Regional Plan for • a Regional Plan for a
the National Conurbation/City
Economic Corridor
Region Region
• focus is to enhance • focuses mainly on
economic coordination of
development urban services
opportunities for provision and the
states experiencing
slow development accomplishment of
growth and to raise uniform guidelines
the living standards and standards for
and quality of life of effective and efficient
the rural population. urban environment.
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 Regional Planning – for whom?
• Social welfare distribution of who and where
benefits and losses are channeled
• How to address inequalities?
• Who makes the decisions?
 Rationale
• As a result of several regional problem (e.g. urban
overcrowding, urbanisation. Personal mobility,
urban-rural disparities)
• UK: north-south divide
• Malaysia: East Coast vs West Coast
• More comprehensive to support structure and
local plans
• Dealing with regional resource allocation – aiming
for efficiency
 Regional Planning in Malaysia
• Previous regional planning thought (intra-regional
level) look at region as purely economic areas to be
developed & untouched by development/ civilisation

• People were brought in, without taking into account

the existing communities & their established cultures

• E.g. FELDA (Federal Land Development Authority),

FELCRA, RISDA settlements

• Characterised by economic ethnocentrism &

politicisation of issues
 Intra-Regional Planning (Sewilayah)

Intra-Regional Planning involves resources allocation between sub-

regions in a particular region.
Example:
The Central Region – Kuala Lumpur, Selangor
Eastern Region – Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang OR, within the
planning region itself – DARA, KESEDAR, KETENGAH
Focus : Urbanization & environmental issues, housing, transportation,
employment opportunities

 Local scale of objectives & goals – to serve the region itself

 Concentrates on physical planning
 Innovative planning – talking about actions to renewal – Agenda
21, conservation, transportation
 Indicative planning (with specific guidelines)
 Inter-Region Planning (Antara Wilayah)
Inter-Region Planning: Allocation of resources among regions

To reduce unbalanced economic development among regions – to reduce

the regional disparities between the western and the eastern region.
Example: Building more infrastructures in less developed regions to
encourage investment
Focus : Public cost / Great level of government interference – more
allocation to areas that do not provide the according output to the
allocation.

National objectives & goals

Socioeconomic planning
Allocative planning as it involves other regions
Imperative planning – orders / allocation by the government
 Regional Conflicts
• Examples of regional conflicts
• How to minimize regional conflicts?
• How to achieve a balanced development?
Regional Conflicts: Economic Objectives
• Weak vs strong areas within a region or between
regions: which one should get more allocation?
• Investment in “weak region” could affect short
term economic performances of the regions, as
well as the whole nation
• i.e. not exploiting the advantages offered by
“strong region”
• Long term effects - ???
 Regional Conflicts: Balanced Growth
• What does it imply?
• Weak region to accelerate development in
order to catch up with strong region?
• A matter of developing a unique regional
identity
• Involve centralisation of power and resources?
 Regional Conflicts: Multi-agencies
Involvement
• Multi agencies, hence multi aims/objectives
• Conflict of interests?
• Rate of development is hard to predict –
and it is not the same for every region.
 Current regional initiatives
• SCORE
• NCER
• ECER
• IDR

What are the focus of each of these initiatives?

 Summary
• What is meant by planning? What are the
different types of planning?
• How does planning relates to regional
development?
• Current regional policy initiatives
 References
• Glasson, J & Marshall, T. (2007). Regional Planning.
New York: Routledge
• Pike, A. (2006). Local and Regional Planning. New York:
Routledge
• Development planning and regional imbalances in
Malaysia (2003)
https://www.um.edu.my/docs/librariesprovider7/work
ing-papers/fea-wp-2003-005.pdf?sfvrsn=2
• An overview of spatial policy in Asian and European
countries (2014)
http://www.mlit.go.jp/kokudokeikaku/international/sp
w/general/malaysia/index_e.html