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    S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences Regional Planning & Development. - Concept & Meaning of Region

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    Kirti Pandey
    This document discusses the concept of "development from below" as an alternative to "development from above" that had been criticized for being dogmatic and disempowering local communities. It provides examples of "local innovation societies" in economically deprived regions that strive for local development initiatives. One such example is the Craigmillar Festival Society in Scotland, which began organizing local arts festivals and eventually expanded to comprehensive community development efforts, leading to improved local services and employment opportunities. The experience of such local societies is held up as a model for more participatory, democratic and collaborative approaches to development that empower local communities.

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    S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences Regional Planning & Development. - Concept & Meaning of Region

    Uploaded by

    Kirti Pandey
    38 views5 pages
    This document discusses the concept of "development from below" as an alternative to "development from above" that had been criticized for being dogmatic and disempowering local communities. It provides examples of "local innovation societies" in economically deprived regions that strive for local development initiatives. One such example is the Craigmillar Festival Society in Scotland, which began organizing local arts festivals and eventually expanded to comprehensive community development efforts, leading to improved local services and employment opportunities. The experience of such local societies is held up as a model for more participatory, democratic and collaborative approaches to development that empower local communities.

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    REGNL PL

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    This document discusses the concept of "development from below" as an alternative to "development from above" that had been criticized for being dogmatic and disempowering local communities. It provides examples of "local innovation societies" in economically deprived regions that strive for local development initiatives. One such example is the Craigmillar Festival Society in Scotland, which began organizing local arts festivals and eventually expanded to comprehensive community development efforts, leading to improved local services and employment opportunities. The experience of such local societies is held up as a model for more participatory, democratic and collaborative approaches to development that empower local communities.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    38 views5 pages

    S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences Regional Planning & Development. - Concept & Meaning of Region

    Uploaded by

    Kirti Pandey
    This document discusses the concept of "development from below" as an alternative to "development from above" that had been criticized for being dogmatic and disempowering local communities. It provides examples of "local innovation societies" in economically deprived regions that strive for local development initiatives. One such example is the Craigmillar Festival Society in Scotland, which began organizing local arts festivals and eventually expanded to comprehensive community development efforts, leading to improved local services and employment opportunities. The experience of such local societies is held up as a model for more participatory, democratic and collaborative approaches to development that empower local communities.

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    of 5

    S.Rengasamy.

    Madurai Institute of Social Sciences


    Regional Planning & Development.Part I -Concept & Meaning of
    Region
    9
    representative range of commercial and culture service and ‘nature’, or
    extensive
    recreational open spaces”.
    On the whole, the quality of life concept includes a set of material, economic,
    social andecological conditions of life, which is considered to be indispensable,
    proceeding fromthe ideas common for the given society and region about what
    is needed for a full andhappy life. These ideals are quite different in socialists,
    advance capitalist, and formercolonial and dependent countries. The greatest
    contrasts in the ideas about the necessary things
    and still more important, in the real needs are found between the rich and the
    poor, between those
    living in advanced capitalist an in developing countries.
    4. Emergence of the new concepts like ‘development from below’/
    “agripolitandevelopment’ as an antidote for polarized development. this
    was the outcome of thegrowing recognition of the growing discontent on
    the part of sub-national socialgroups (including local and regional ones) i.e.
    mass living in periphery, feelingpowerlessness and defenseless to shape
    their own destiny against the ‘omnipotent’ core
    Since the mid 1970s development from above is more and more often
    characterized as
    dogmatic, alienating, anti-human, irrational, senseless, destructive etc. To
    counter
    balance it, a concept of ‘development frombelow’ is put forwarded in Eric
    Trist’s book ‘NewDirections of Hope: Recent Innovations,Interconnecting
    Organizational,
    Industrial,
    Community and Personal development’
    Grassroot Experience
    Eric Trist presents the experience of four local“societies of innovation” found in
    economicallydeprived regions of advanced capitalist countriesand striving on
    the basis of local initiative tobreak away from the closed circle of a
    depressivestate. These are (1) The Jamestown Area Labour-Management
    Committee in the West of the NewYork State of the USA functioning since
    1972;(2) The Greater Philadelphia Partnershipfunctioning
    since
    1978
    (Southeast
    ofPennsylvania, USA); (3). The
    Society of Sudbury2001 (Northern Ontario, Canada); (4). TheCraigmillar
    Festival
    Society
    (Edinburgh,
    Scotland, Great Britain), functioning since 1963.
    With all the difference, these organizations have
    the following characteristics in common:
    (a). They are set up in a critical situation when itbecomes evident that “the crisis is
    chronic andrequires long-range remedies”;
    (b). The problem to be met is not merely local but
    is rather a microcosm of major societal problem, so, locally taken actions, if
    they are
    effective, “soon begin resonate widely through the social fabric” of the country.

    S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences


    Regional Planning & Development.Part I -Concept & Meaning of
    Region
    10
    (c) At the same time this “meta-problem” is strictly local and to be solved,
    requiresprofound and diverse knowledge and work both under current
    conditions and fromthe point of view of a long-term perspective etc.
    Many things become clearer if concrete examples are taken. Let us consider in
    greaterdetail on of the four examples given by the author- the Craigmillar
    Festival Society,which is one of the oldest (functions since 1963) original and
    most effective societies ofthis kind.
    Craigmillar is a small town (25,000 residents) near Edinburgh, which failed to
    make useof the successes of development in the 1950s and 1960s but which
    acutely felt the crisisof the 1970s. The level of unemployment among the
    grown-up population is between 22and 30% there, while it is still higher among
    the females. The gap between the level ofdevelopment of this town and that of
    the growing centers increasingly deepens. Theactivity of the local society began
    with the organization of local arts festivals, whichbegan to be held as an
    antipode to international festivals in Edinburgh. The success ofthe local
    festivals inspired the town residents, according to the author, it allowed
    toovercome the inferiority complex, which they had developed. In the process
    of theorganization of these festivals the Society itself became “an all-round
    communitydevelopment organization”. In 1978 they brought forward “The
    CraigmillarComprehensive Plan for Action” which covers all aspects of
    community life and mustnow be negotiated with the various authorities
    concerned”.
    Besides the organization of festivals, the society secured the foundation of a
    high schooland a community centre. An important side to the activity of the
    Society is organisationof social self-service by local forces. Hospitalization of
    elders in this town became lessexpensive than in other similar centers, more
    children began to attend schools. Theauthor pays special attention to the activity
    of the Employment Working Party organizedhere, and also expressed hope that
    the society will be able “ to create more industry inCraigmillar and fill the
    Industrial Park the Society has acquired”. They also makeattempts at providing
    such conditions that unemployed would be able to be trainedprofessionally and
    to find the application of their skill in the “Market economy”. Theactivities to
    the Society in Craigmillar culminated in the securing of a grant from theregional
    development fund of the common market. One can hardly build the concept of
    acardinal renovation “from below”as in Craigmillar.
    The experience of local societies is raised up to the highest level of
    generalization and is
    announced to be a panacea against many troubles.
    Trist compares the main features of the modern social systems of western
    society withthose, which in his opinion emerge in the process of the local
    innovation societies,believing that they will “become one force which will help
    push Western society towards a new paradigm”.

    S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences


    Regional Planning & Development.Part I -Concept & Meaning of
    Region
    11
    The above said is summed up in a table:
    Basic features
    Present
    Emerging
    Policies
    Centrally formed
    Statutory bodies allocate Resources
    Party politics
    Passive electorate
    Organizations
    Technocratic bureaucracies
    External controls
    low q. oflife for the many
    Domains
    Discreet problem solving
    Independent objectives
    Competing interests
    Individuals
    Privatized
    dissociated
    Powerless though autonomous
    An innovative periphery
    Power is share with Non-statutory bodies
    Community politics
    Active participation
    Democratized organization forms
    Internal controls
    High quality of life for the many
    Meta-problem appreciation
    Interdependent objectives
    Collaborating interests
    Shared values
    Network conceitedness
    Empowered, socially responsible
    Kundrakudi Experiment in Micro Regional Plannin

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