Comprehensive Planning Process Review

The Comprehensive Planning Process

• Identifying issues: Addressing problems that the community is facing
• Stating goals: Establishing objectives after identifying issues
• Collecting data: Gathering information on current city conditions and predicting future conditions
• Preparing the plan: Creating a plan based on gathered data and established goals
• Creating implementation plan: Developing programs to implement the plan's goals
• Evaluating alternatives: Ensuring the most efficient and cost-effective way to achieve community goals
• Adopting a plan: Officially adopting the plan as a statement of policy
• Implementing and monitoring the plan: Carrying out the plan's goals and monitoring progress

Land Use Planning

• Refers to the rational allocation of land resources to different activities and functions
• Aims to achieve a desired pattern of land use consistent with the city's overall development vision
• Involves land classification, land use conversion, and land reclassification
• Zoning: The legislative act of delineating areas for specific uses and regulating their use

Concepts Related to Land Use

• Reversible uses: When land can be reverted to its original condition
• Irreversible uses: When land cannot be restored to its original condition
• Multiple land uses: Combining different uses in an orderly and desirable pattern
• Compatible and incompatible land uses: Determining which uses can coexist harmoniously
• Highest and best use of the land: The use that generates maximum profit without negative consequences

Fiscal Planning

• Designed to provide methods for public financial management and analysis
• Fiscal policy: Government's policy on revenue generation, expenditures, and debt management
• Revenue policy: Raising revenue based on the "ability to pay" concept
• Expenditures policy: Allocating funds efficiently to deliver public services and support economic growth
• Debt management policy: Managing debt levels to finance development projects and provide budget support

Planning of a Particular Project

• Physical planning: The general pattern of land use, character of public buildings, and design of streets and transportation systems
• Transportation planning: Defining future policies, goals, and spatial planning to prepare for future transportation needs
• Lifestyle: Providing social amenities and facilities for the community
• Access and transportation: Ensuring ease of access and providing adequate housing

Transportation Planning

• Commonly known as transport planning internationally
• Involves evaluating, assessing, designing, and siting transportation facilities
• Function: To identify highway system components, define transportation planning, and recall the process and purpose of construction planning design
• Transportation planning elements: Planning process, monitoring and reviews, and implementation
• Characteristics of transportation planning: Determining transportation needs, making a transportation formula, studying profitability, and analyzing traffic/travel patterns

Planning Process

• Situation definition: Understanding the situation that gave rise to the need for a transportation improvement
• Problem definition: Describing the problem in terms of objectives to be accomplished
• Search for solution: Considering various ideas and design configurations
• Analysis of performance: Estimating how each alternative would perform under present and future conditions
• Evaluation of alternatives: Determining how well each alternative will achieve the project's objectives
• Choice of project: Selecting the best alternative after considering all factors
• Specification and construction: Specifying and constructing the chosen project

Travel Demand Modal

• Built transportation models to predict traffic patterns and make transportation planning easier
• Traffic volume studies: Collecting data on the number of vehicles/pedestrians passing a point during a specified time
• Application of traffic volume data: Designing for road rehabilitation, studying traffic at intersections, and analyzing cost-benefits for highway projects### Transportation Planning
• Transportation planning aims to provide a new transportation system, improve the existing system, and determine the number of trips that will use the existing system.
• Spot speed studies are conducted to estimate the distribution of speeds of vehicles in a stream of traffic at a specific area.
• The study involves recording the speed of vehicles at a specific location and is valid only for the traffic and environmental conditions that exist at the time of study.

Origin and Destination Study (O-D)

• The main purpose of O-D study is to plan the transportation in an urban city, especially the type of land use, road/traffic network, and public transportation system.
• O-D study shows the pattern and nature of daily trips made by residents.
• Application of O-D data includes determining the traffic flow, if traffic congestion occurs, and planning a short cut to give a comfortable travel to road users.

Travel Time and Delay Studies

• Travel time study determines the amount of time required to travel from one point to another on a given route.
• Information may also be collected on the location, duration, and causes of delays.
• The study helps in identifying problems at the location and evaluating the efficiency of a route with respect to its ability to carry traffic.

Parking Studies

• Parking studies are conducted to determine the need for parking spaces in areas with high land use, including business, residential, and commercial activities.
• The study provides information on whether the parking space is adequate and helps in implementing payment systems for parking.

Role of Transport Policy

• Transport policy affects and improves the productivity and economic growth of a city.
• It affects the standard of living and environment in the city.
• The policy provides increased accessibility and influences price and land use.

Tourism Planning

• Tourism planning involves considering the needs of people planning a trip and determining the best resources, programs, and activities for their trip.
• The planning process includes coordination with government agencies, private sectors, and local businesses to improve tourism-related infrastructure.
• Tourism planning provides plenty of resources and information for travelers and ensures that the location and local businesses provide everything needed to improve tourism.

Levels of Tourism Planning

• International Level: involves international transportation services, flow, and tour programming of tourists among different countries.
• National Level: involves tourism policy, physical structures, and national level implementation techniques.
• Regional Level: involves access and internal transport network, type of location, and tourism attraction.
• Sub-Regional Level: involves tourist attraction features, general location of accommodation, and other tourist facilities and services.

Components of Tourism Development

• Tourism attractions and activities
• Accommodation
• Other tourist facilities and services
• Transportation facilities and services
• Other infrastructure
• Institutional elements

Tourism Planning Process

• Study recognition and preparation
• Setting of objectives or goals for strategy
• Survey of existing data
• Implementation of new surveys
• Analyses
• Policy and plan formulation
• Recommendation
• Implementation
• Monitoring and reformulation

Master Plan

• A master plan is a general plan for the future layout of a city showing both the existing and proposed streets, roads, open spaces, public buildings, etc.
• It is a comprehensive document, long-term in its view, and is intended to guide the township for the next 10 to 20 years.
• The objective of a master plan is to provide welfare to the inhabitants with respect to amenities, convenience, and health.

Institutions in Planning

• The local planning structure
• The Sanggunian: has power to prescribe reasonable limits and restraints on the use of property, appropriate public funds, and is the highest policy-making body in LGU.
• Executive Committee: composed of the governor, mayors, representatives of NGOs, and other members.
• Local Development Councils: composed of mayors, representatives of NGOs, and other members.### Sectoral or Functional Committee
• Members participate in functional committees

Secretariat

• Provides both technical and administrative support
• Assists with documentation

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)

• Created through RA. 7924
• Policy of the state to treat Metropolitan Manila as a special development and administrative region
• Aim is to plan, supervise, and coordinate metro-wide services more efficiently and effectively

Local Planning and Development Office

• Responsible for information management
• Conducts comprehensive and multi-sectoral planning
• Involved in investment programming
• Promotes public participation
• Provides secretariat services to LDC
• Scope of services includes:
  • Development planning
  • Transport and traffic management
  • Solid waste disposal management
  • Flood control and sewage management
  • Urban renewal, zoning, and land use planning and shelter services
  • Health and sanitation, urban protection, and pollution control
  • Public safety

Government Institutions

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)

• An independent cabinet-level agency of the Philippine government
• Responsible for economic development and planning
• Headed by the president of the Philippines as chairman of NEDA
• Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning serves as vice chairman

HUDCC (Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council)

• Created by President Corazon Aquino
• Serves as the highest policy-making body for housing
• Coordinates the activities of government housing agencies to ensure the accomplishment of the National Shelter Program

HLURB (Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board)

• A national government agency tasked as the planning, regulatory, and quasi-judicial body for land use development and real estate and housing regulation

NHA (National Housing Authority)

• A government-owned and controlled corporation under the administrative supervision of HUDCC
• Classified under the Infrastructure Utilities Group
• Provides responsive housing programs primarily to homeless low-income families with access to social services and economic opportunities with excellence while ensuring corporate viability

HGC (Housing Guaranty Corporation)

• A government-owned and controlled corporation mandated by law to promote sustainable home ownership by providing risk coverage or guarantees and tax/fiscal incentives to banks and financial institutions/investors granting housing development loans/credits, and home financing

HDMF (Home Development Mutual Fund)

• More popularly known as the Pag-IBIG Fund
• Provides a national savings program and affordable shelter financing for Filipino workers

Environmental Impact Analysis

Purpose of EIA/NEPA Process

• To encourage the consideration of the environment in planning and decision-making to ultimately arrive at actions that are environmentally friendly
• A planning tool that helps planners predict future impacts of different development activities
• Provides information about adverse environmental effects and predicts the overall risk arising from any activity
• Helps identify areas where risk can possibly be reduced

Ideal EIA System

• Applies to all projects expected to have a significant environmental impact
• Compares alternatives to a proposed project, management techniques, and mitigation measures
• Results in a clear Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that conveys the importance of the likely impacts and their specific characteristics to non-experts in the field
• Includes broad public participation and stringent administrative review procedures
• Timed to provide information for decision-making
• Enforceable
• Includes monitoring and feedback procedures
• Helps design projects that enhance the quality of the environment by examining alternative and remedial measures throughout the entire course of planning and designing development projects

Performance of the Assessment

• Site visit
• Identification and evaluation
• Discussion of alternatives
• Preparation of a checklist
• Measurement of environmental impact due to the project

Preparation of EIS

• EIS is the conclusion of EIA
• A written statement that serves as a device to ensure that the policies and goals defined by NEPA are infused into the ongoing programmed
• Presented to the public, competent authorities, and independent experts in a clear and comprehensive manner

Goals of Environmental Impact Assessment

• Resources conservation
• Waste minimization
• Recovery of by-product
• Efficient use of equipment
• Sustainable development

Methodology of Environment Impact Assessment

• Organizing the job
• Constitutes an interdisciplinary team to conduct analysis of the various impacts of the proposed program on the environment
• The team includes experts from different fields with knowledge of concepts, methods, data, and terms related to that subject
• The time schedule for the conduct of analysis is fixed
• The expert should have knowledge of rules, regulations, and limitations on the part of the government

Review questions on the comprehensive planning process, evaluating alternatives, and community goal realization. Test your knowledge on effective planning strategies.