Archives - Politics: Page 35
Author: Guest (Sun Jun 25, 2006 12:14 pm)
Title: Institutionalised profiteering
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN urban and regional planning (conveniently but misleadingly abbreviated to town planning and in recent years more compendiously described as environmental planning) and the land market is critically important economically, socially and environmentally. For many reasons, however, the relationship, together with its implications for equitable and efficient public revenue raising, is not always clearly understood.
Throughout history the conscious location of dwellings, roads and community buildings has been, in effect, a form of town planning. In their different ways architects, builders, engineers and surveyors have all contributed. But it is only in comparatively recent times that town planning has become recognised as a separate profession, a profession that tries to co-ordinate the activities of all the other more specialised professions involved in building and maintaining human settlements. It is, of course, essentially a public activity concerned with the public interest. Its objectives are to promote safe, healthy, convenient, aesthetically satisfying and economically efficient and environmentally responsible human settlements. These are public functions. The extent to which these public objectives are achieved will depend upon the political will of public authorities and upon the extent of the professional town planning resources available to them. To overall national planning policies, a detailed level is the proper responsibility of local government. At a local level, plans will take the form of detailed...A common technique is to designate zones for estimated land use but needs commerce, public facilities and recreation. If sufficient professional resources are available, a better technique is to describe in written detail the intended future character of the various parts of a local government area. Rigour of town planning laws will depend upon the philosophy of the government of the day.