REGIONAL PLANNING

Growing trend of globalization has emphasized the need for a new role of development planners since 1990s. It suggests changes in approaching the human settlement issues in a balanced, integrated, participatory, resource sensitive and democratic manner. It also suggests the need for evolving action oriented strategic approaches to addressing human settlement issues. With time, development planning approaches in India have also been changing. With changed governance scenario in the country since early 1990s, the democratic institutions in both rural and urban areas have been playing a key role in decision-making processes. Consequently, the role of development planners would have to be suited to changing times. It also calls for change in the role of regional planner who could appreciate issues of both rural and urban areas in an integrated manner.

Changing times also suggest a need for such specialists to develop action oriented decisions at different spatial units including rural, urban, district, state level that promote partnerships amongst various stakeholders in a given region to jointly understand development issues, develop a vision for the future, formulate development strategies, prioritize programmes, mobilize resources, and monitor and evaluate implementation of programmes. Appreciating the need for professionals with training and skills in making such strategic and sustainable choices for different geographical levels, the School offers a degree programme leading to the award of Master of Planning with specialization in Regional Planning.

Regional planning is the process of formulating and translating economic, spatial and environmental objectives in the ordering of activities in space in an integrated manner levels such as village, Peri-urban, sub-urban and urban in terms of space; metropolitan region, districts, state in terms of territoriality and dynamic functional resource and environmental regions in term of typology of regions. In principle, it is basically spatial development planning oriented to planning for a given area. It aims to achieve sustainable development for the region.

This degree programme is designed to prepare students in the skills of regional analysis, regional and sub-regional plan preparation, preparation of action oriented strategies and management of human settlements. The programme enables the students to meet the professional needs of various potential employers such as government, non-government organizations, bilateral funding agencies, multilateral institutions and private sector.