LAND USE

PLANNING
Nature and scope of land Use Planning 2

(LUP)

▪ Land-use planning (LUP) is the systematic

assessment of the physical, social and economic
factors of land in order to select and adopt the best
land-use options.
▪ Its purpose is to select and put into practice those
land uses that will best meet the needs of the
people while safeguarding resources for the future.
▪ The driving force in planning is the need for change,
the need for improved management or the need
for prevent land use at changing circumstances.
Cont..
• Land use planning presents a development approach that contributes to
the prevention of land use conflicts, the adaptation of land uses to
physical and ecological conditions, the lasting protection of land as a
natural resource, the lasting productive use of land and a balanced use
that fulfils all social, ecological and economic requirements.

• 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.
 Cont..

• All kinds of rural land use are involved: agriculture, pastoralism,

forestry, wildlife conservation and tourism.

• Planning also provides guidance in cases of conflict between rural land

use and urban or industrial expansion, by indicating which areas of land
are most valuable under rural use.
Scopes of LUP

❖The scope of land use planning defined based on geographical extent

(small scale, medium scale and large scale) or temporally extent (short-
term, medium-term and long-term), providing a comprehensive basis for
implementing resource management actions.
Major Steps in Land Use Planning

• Every land-use planning project is different.

• Objectives and local circumstances are extremely varied, so each plan
will require a different treatment.
• However, a sequence of ten steps has been found useful as a guide.
• Each step represents a specific activity, or set of activities, and their
outputs provide information for subsequent steps.
• Following are land use planning steps which are important to plan the
land resources.
Step 1 Establish Goals and Terms of Reference
The following tasks may be included in this first step of planning.
✓ Define the planning area.
✓ Contact the people involved.
✓ Acquire basic information about the area:
✓ Establish the goals.
✓ Make a preliminary identification of problems and opportunities.
✓ Identify constraints to implementing improvements.
✓ Establish the criteria for making decisions on land use.
✓ Set the scope of the plan.
✓ Set the planning period.
Cont..
• Agree on the content and format of the plan.
• Decide on operational questions for the planning project: personnel,
cooperating agencies, timing, and budget
Step 2 Organize the Work
✓ List the planning tasks and activities. For each task:
✓ Decide which tasks need to be completed before others can be
commenced.
✓ Draw up a work plan for the project as a whole (table, bar chart or critical
path analysis).
✓ Draw up individual, personal work plans.
✓ Allocate money and equipment.
✓ Arrange administrative matters and logistics:
Cont..
• Transport (vehicles, spares, fuel, servicing);
• Equipment;
• Office facilities.
• Provide and coordinate technical support:
• Inputs from other agencies
• Field assistance
• Laboratory
• Cartography
• Secretarial
Step 3 Analyze the Problems
• In this step the planners:
• Collect data on the existing situation; where possible, compile maps:
• Identify sources: maps, satellite imagery, air photographs, censuses,
departmental records. Check in the field whether the sources are
reliable and up to date.
• Identify and map: land units; Land-use systems.
• Identify problems of land use: nature and severity, land units and land-
use systems affected;
• Analysis of causes.
• Develop methods: interviews with land users, local leaders, extension
staff, agencies; field reconnaissance.
• Prepare problem statements.
Step 4 Identify Opportunities for Change
• Based on the goals from Step I and problem statements from Step 3,
isolate problems for which solutions other than land-use planning must
be sought.
• Generate a range of options for solving each problem, in terms of:
• Opportunities: the people, land resources, improved technology,
economic measures, government action;
• Land-use strategies: no change, maximum production, minimum
investment, maximum conservation, maximum equity;
• Kinds of production, the role of conservation, self-reliance versus
external investment.
Cont..
• Develop realistic options that best meet the needs of production,
conservation and sustainability and that minimize conflicts of land use.
• Prepare outline budgets and time frames for each option.
• Present the problem statements and the alternatives for change in
terms suitable for public and executive discussion.
Step 5 Evaluate Land Suitability
▪ This step forms the central part of land evaluation, a procedure is
important to:
▪ Describe land-use types in sufficient detail for subsequent analysis.
▪ Select land qualities and land characteristics to be used in comparisons
of land-use requirements with land.
Cont..
▪ Map the land units and determine their relevant land characteristics and
qualities.
▪ Set limiting values to land-use requirements, to be used for determining
class limits for land suitability.
▪ Take into account sustainability and the ratio of benefits to inputs.
▪ Match land use with land
▪ compare land-use requirements with land qualities or characteristics to
determine provisional land suitability classes
▪ Consider modifications to land-use types, in order that they become
better suited to the land.
▪ Consider land improvements that could make the land better suited to
the land use.
Cont..
▪ Map land suitability for each land-use type.
▪ Plan for research needed: additional surveys, research by outside
agencies or within the land-use plan.
Step 6 Appraise the Alternatives: Environmental, Economic and Social
Analysis
▪ In this step the planning team consider:
▪ Environmental impact assessment: soil and water resources, pasture and
forest resources, wildlife conservation, resources for tourism and
recreation; off-site effects.
▪ Financial analysis: are the proposed land-use types profitable for the
farmer or other land users.
▪ Economic analysis: what is the value of the proposed changes to the
community, within and beyond the planning area?
Cont..
▪ Social impact: what effects will the proposed changes have on different
sections of the community, especially women, minority groups and the
poor?
▪ Strategic planning: how do the proposed changes in land use affect wider
aspects of rural development planning, including national goals?
Step 7 Choose the Best Option
▪ In this step the planning team:
▪ Set out a series of options for the allocation or recommendation of land-
use types to land units. Also state their evaluation in terms of land
suitability and environmental, economic and social analysis.
▪ Set out the consequences of these options in terms of the goals and
planning objectives.
▪ Present the options and their consequences in a way that is appropriate
for review.
Cont..
▪ Make arrangements for consultations with the communities affected as
well as with the implementing agencies; obtain views about feasibility
and acceptability.
▪ Assemble and review the comments received. In the light of these, make
any necessary changes to the options.
Step 8 Prepare the Land-Use Plan
▪ In this step the planners:
▪ Prepare maps - the basic or master land-use plan and supporting maps.
▪ Set out the land-use allocations and recommendations, based on the
preferred option selected in Step 7. Give descriptions of land-use types,
including management recommendations on each kind of land.
▪ Set targets for achievement, by land-use type, area and agency. Specify
how they will be reached. Check that they are within the capabilities of
the agencies and infrastructure.
Cont..
▪ Draw up logistic preparations, specifying the capital works, recurrent
inputs and responsibilities for implementation.
▪ Establish mechanisms for monitoring progress and revising the plan.
▪ Make arrangements for research needed to support the plan.
▪ Determine the finance needed for each operation and determine sources
of funds.
▪ Write the report - executive summary, main report, maps and
appendixes.
▪ Establish mechanisms for communication with, and the participation of,
all institutions involved.
▪ Prepare public relations material.
Step 9 Implement the Plan
▪ Ensure that the changes recommended in the plan are correctly applied
in the plan; be available for technical consultations; discuss with
implementing agencies any suggested modifications.
▪ Help to maintain communications between all people and institutions
participating in or affected by the plan, i.e. land users, sectoral agencies,
government, non-governmental organizations, commercial organizations.
▪ Assist in coordination of the activities of the implementing agencies.
▪ Assist in institution-building by strengthening links between existing
institutions, forming new bodies where necessary and strengthening
cooperation.
▪ Focus on the participation of the land users; ensure adequate incentives.
Cont..
▪ Organize research in association with the plan; ensure that results from
research are communicated and, where appropriate, incorporated into
the plan.
▪ Arrange for education and training of project staff and land users.
Step 10 Monitor and Revise the Plan
▪ Now the planning process comes full circle. Information is needed on
how well the plan is being implemented and whether it is succeeding, so
that the implementation agencies can improve the way in which the plan
is being applied and so that the planning team may learn from
experience and respond to changing conditions. In this step the planner:
▪ List the goals and criteria achievement agreed in Step 1. Add any that
emerged later in the planning period.
Cont..
▪ Gather data relevant to each criterion of attainment: physical, economic
and social.
▪ Compare what has been achieved with what was planned. Identify
elements of success and failure.
▪ Seek explanations for failures.
▪ Review the goals: are they still valid?
▪ Initiate modification or revision of the plan
▪ Minor modifications through action by implementing agencies
▪ Larger revisions by the preparation of proposals and reference back to
decision-makers.
Cont..
▪ In a still broader view, the steps can be grouped into the following logical
sequence:
✓ Identify the problems. Steps 1-3.
✓ Determine what alternative solutions exist. Steps 4-6.
✓ Decide which the best alternative is and prepare the plan. Steps 7-8.
✓ Put the plan into action, see how it works and learn from this
experience. Steps 9-10.
Techniques of land use planning
▪ There are many methods of land use planning. Many countries and
authorities have experimented with top-down planning, whereby
technocrats, politicians and rulers have imposed “plans” and measures
on the rural population.
▪ Top-down planning has the advantage of speedy implementation,
particularly if backed-up by effective controlling (state) agents or by
direct financial incentives.
▪ A great disadvantage is that many stakeholders may not understand the
plan or not agree with it and actively or passively sabotage it.
▪ At the other end of the spectrum are traditional methods of land use
planning, as an essential part of local culture, and encapsulated in
written and unwritten rules, religion, myths and taboos.
Cont..
▪ Whereas top-down planning and implementation attempts fail if not
supported by local communities, local efforts may collapse without
higher level support.
▪ A two-way communication assures that village land use plans are in tune
with higher level plans, interests and policies, and that planners and
decision makers at the local, regional and national level are sufficiently
informed about the priorities identified by villagers.