This chapter describes the concept of land use planning. The basic understanding or model drawn up by the "Working Group on Integrated Land Use Planning" (WGLUP) is stated as follows:
Land use planning (LUP) is an iterative process based on the dialogue amongst all stakeholders aiming at the negotiation and decision for a sustainable form of land use in rural areas as well as initiating and monitoring its implementation.
In this chapter, the assumptions within this basic understanding are discussed and the objective of land use planning is defined. Land use planning provides the prerequisites for achieving a sustainable form of land use which is acceptable as far as the social and environmental contexts are concerned and is desired by the society while making sound economic sense.
The presentation of the basic principles of LUP, such as the principle of beneficiary group differentiation, the iterative nature of the process or the guidance for implementation gives a sound and integrated picture of the process. Finally, the applicability of LUP in development co-operation is discussed.
 |
Wherever groups of people use land and its resources, land use is planned, being aware of it or not. Land use does not consider production only, but also land functions such as protected areas, land recreation, road-building, waste disposal sides and use-restricted areas such as buffer zones for exhaust gases, areas for regenerating groundwater, buffer zones for traffic noise pollution, etc.
Land use planning (LUP) is not only practised when national authorities intervene or as a result of development co-operation projects. LUP happens in every society, even if the term is not used.
The subject of these guidelines is land use planning in the context of development co-operation. It deals with cases in which an intervention occurs in order to improve land use and to sustain natural resources. In the past, decisions made on land use have resulted in the degradation of land resources, or an imbalance between supply and demand of those resources. Here, land use planning is understood as an instrument of the technical co-operation used in the following types of projects:
- resources management (forestry, production systems compatible with resources and agroforestry, pasture management, nature protection and erosion control)
- rural regional development
- community support and village development
- government consultation (environmental strategy planning, agricultural sector planning, development planning, assessment of land potential).
These LUP-guidelines are not intended to standardise and impose compulsory procedures for all conceivable variants. It appears more appropriate to offer support for different situations, taking into consideration the specific conditions of the technical co-operation. In addition, the exact role and scope of LUP within the technical co-operation has still to be determined according to the context and local conditions by those responsible for planning and implementation of projects.
Even fundamental concepts are perceived differently within each project. Whereas some will consider an approach which gives these directives from above on how land related subjects should be organised in a defined region, others will promote a process of organisation and learning.
The first model of land use planning follows the sense of a rational model of planning. It is assumed that the optimisation of the set of planning tools in connection with rationalisation of the planning organisation will result in the best possible solution to the problem to be solved. Any social conflicts are disregarded in this process (technical planning approach).
The objective of the latter concept is to create a social platform for solving problems and settling conflicts. Land use planning is thereby described as a political process in which the constellation of forces is crucial to the result. In this type of planning process the stakes of differing groups with different power potential and different influence meet one another. In this process the mechanisms of conflict resolution and forming a consensus are the major political factors (participatory planning approach).
The working group on integrated land use planning (WGLUP) has formulated the following basic understanding based on previous project experience:
Land use planning in the technical co-operation is an iterative process based on the dialogue amongst all participants. It is aimed at the definition of decisions on a sustainable form of land use in rural areas and the initiation of the appropriate measures for implementation and monitoring.
This basic understanding contains the following definitions:
- The core element in land use planning is the dialogue amongst all participants to reach decisions based on consensus. A major task of land use planning is to accompany and motivate the participants and those affected in order to attain a conciliation of interests concerning land resources, types and extent of land use.
- The dialogue-orientated learning and negotiation process amongst the participants leads to the development of their planning capacities and to sustaining co-operative relations at local level.
- Participants in land use planning are direct and indirect land users, as well as those affected by the consequences of land use activities. Another group is formed by people who often have political or economic influence; this includes authorities, organisations, middlemen and women, processing industries for agricultural products, etc. However, the most important target group in land use planning is made up of the direct land users.
- The Land Use Planning process covers all steps extending from the collection of data and information through its processing, analysis, discussion and evaluation right up to the negotiation for a consensus concerning the form of land use to be practised. This includes the prerequisites for preparing, initiating and implementing the plan. However, in the context of the technical co-operation, during the LUP process not necessarily all planned measures to be carried out will be implemented in their entirety.
- "Iteration" means putting the result of the decision-making process into practice and converting it into a situation specific step-by-step planning. It is a repeated or recurring process that seeks to reach an optimal solution. New developments and knowledge gained during the planning process are incorporated and may require revision and updating. This may result in a repetition of steps which have already been taken and e.g. can mean a renewed data collection, analysis, discussion and decision.
- Land use planning is first and foremost a process of clarification and understanding between people who together wish to change something and prepare future actions systematically. In the process, the elements of a plan are worked out co-operatively. The core part of a planning process is therefore a commonly desired objective to be achieved by implementing the plan. Time planning is linked to the physical/geographic/ecological planning of areas, and the two are mutually dependent.
- Rural areas, in contrast to urban areas are characterised by agricultural and forestry production having relatively low population and building densities. Infrastructure, facilities or services have a relatively low importance.
- Land use is considered to be sustainable when it is both socially and environmentally compatible desired by the society, technically viable and when it makes economic sense. This means:
- Social justice:
When considering the effects of planning measures, attention should be paid to the distribution and kind of benefits. Those should be spread in such a way that even socially weak parties should participate in the process. - Long-term sustainability of natural resources:
The land utilisation type must be designed to ensure that the natural basis of living is sustained in the long-term run, i.e. the use of the land should correspond to its natural potential. Existing environmental damage should be minimised and damaging developments avoided by supporting and developing suitable approaches. - Acceptance and social compatibility:
The measures applied are to be desired, accepted, supported and largely carried out by those affected by them. The effects of such measures can only be sustainable if they are socially compatible and culturally suitable and if they take into account local knowledge and capacities. - Economic efficiency:
The measures planned should be designed to contribute to the long-term security of the economic basis of living of the people. Therefore, the measures should be self-financing and thereby economically justified. In this way, they contribute to the improvement of the living conditions and to the overall economic development. - Viability:
The planned measures should be sound with the level of tolerance of the local population in terms of technology, economy and organisation. Decisions are generally guided by the local technological understanding and culture as well as the available resources. Even if large expenses can be considered as investments for the future, the magnitude must be assessed realistically and the amortisation should be kept within clear time limits. This applies particularly to major infrastructural measures.
To sum up, the following
objective of land use planning can be defined:
Land use planning creates the prerequisites required to achieve a type of land
use, which is sustainable, socially and environmentally compatible, socially desirable and
economically sound. It sets in motion social processes of decision making and consensus
building concerning the use and protection of private, communal or public areas.
On the basis of the central idea, eleven principles of Land Use Planning are explained below and converted into proposals for practical actions in subsequent chapters.
Land use planning is orientated to local conditions in terms of both method and content.
Planning approaches often fail because global models and implementation strategies are applied and taken over automatically and uncritically. But LUP is not a standardised procedure which is uniform in its application world-wide. Its content is based on an initial regional or local situation analysis
Land use planning considers cultural viewpoints and builds up on local environmental knowledge.
Rural societies or groups can often provide complex indigenous knowledge of the environment. If this is the case, such local knowledge should be part of the basis for planning and implementing a sustainable land use.
Land use planning takes into account traditional strategies for solving problems and conflicts.
Traditional rural societies have their own way of approaching problems and settling conflicts concerning land use. In the process of land use planning, such mechanisms have to be recognised, understood and taken into account.
Land use planning assumes a concept which understands rural development to be a "bottom-up" process based on self-help and self-responsibility.
The population should actively participate in the process of LUP. The results of planning and the implementation of measures can only be sustainable if plans are made with and by the people, not behind them or even against them. Planning is therefore not just a matter for experts, but should be carried out together with those affected by it. To ensure a feeling of ownership concerning self-help activities, people who are affected have to be involved in the planning process from the early beginning.
Land use planning is a dialogue, creating the prerequisites for the successful negotiation and co-operation among stakeholders.
The core task of LUP consists of initiating a process of communication and co-operation which "allows all participants to formulate their interests and objectives in the dialogue". On the basis of sound decisions a sustainable form of land use is proposed "whereby the aims and interests of other participating groups are taken into account to the greatest possible extent" (GTZ/Rauch 1993, p.16).
An important element of participation-orientated LUP is the identification of the various groups of participants and differentiating them in terms of their use of and access to land resources. In addition, their position on the social scale (gender approach) and their capacities, either as stakeholders or as members of authorities and of other organisations have to be considered.
Land use planning is a process leading to an improvement in the capacity of the participants to plan and take actions.
The participatory methods used in all planning steps of LUP promote the technical and organisational capabilities of all participants, thereby extending their capacity to plan and to act. In the medium term, this qualification process leads to an improvement in the capacity of local groups for self-determination
Land use planning requires transparency. Therefore, free access to information for all participants is a prerequisite.
Transparency in planning and the extent to which stakeholders are informed, strengthen both their willingness and capacity to participate in planning and decision-making. It increases the motivation of the people for creating sustainable results. An open exchange of information leads to discussions about objectives among the key figures and promotes the willingness to reach a consensus. The dissemination of information in the local language(s) contributes to an improved transparency. In addition, it strengthens the trust of the population in land use planning activities.
The differentiation of stakeholders and the gender approach are core principles in land use planning.
A prerequisite for realistic land use planning is the detailed analysis of the various interest groups. The aim is to find out the various interests of the participants in order to create a basis for the negotiation and decision-making process. Men and women often do not have the same access to land and have specific ways of articulating themselves. Different interests are arising from the economic and social character of their roles and scope of duties. Therefore, the role of gender is an important criterion when differentiating stakeholders.
Land use planning is based on interdisciplinary co-operation.
The ecological, economic, technical, financial, social and cultural dimensions of land use make it necessary to work with an interdisciplinary approach. Land use planning provides many interfaces with other technical disciplines and planning fields. It uses a broad spectrum of tools. An one-sided view of planning will be avoided due to the interdisciplinary and intersectoral configuration of the planning groups.
Land use planning is an iterative process; it is the flexible and open reaction based on new findings and changing conditions.
LUP is more than the preparation of a planning document; it is an iterative process. Iteration is both the principle and the method simultaneously. New developments and findings are specifically observed and incorporated into the planning process. It may lead to the revision of decision and the repetition of steps already taken. This can render superfluous both analyses and data bases which would have been set up at some expense. Iterative planning requires flexibility in planning, but in no way constitutes a "concealed lack of planning".
Land use planning is implementation-orientated.
Land use planning has to consider how the negotiated decisions and the solutions identified are to be implemented. LUP does not end with the land use plan.
The implementation of limited measures (e.g. the development of cultivation techniques which conserve land resources) right at the outset, or parallel to the LUP process, plays an important role in increasing the trust of the people in the village as far as the planning process is concerned.
1.3 Implementing Land Use Planning in Development Co-operation
Development projects use LUP for a variety of reasons. The objectives and the expected impact are manifold, and depend on the specific situation. An evaluation of the experiences gained from over 100 projects in the technical co-operation has resulted in the following overview:
Linking present and long-term problems
Land use planning is implemented in order to associate solutions for present problems (e.g. soil erosion, insufficient agricultural production and low income in rural households) with the planning towards long-term conservation and sustainable use of land resources. Therefore such planning is based on precautions and is future-oriented based on the interests, viewpoints and problem-solving potential of the participants.
