National Physical Plan Case Study

Question 2
The National Physical Plan of Malaysia is not really a land use planning to the FAO guidelines. Explain.

i) The Objective of National Physical Plan
The National Physical Plan (NPP) sets out the national strategic spatial planning policies and measures taken to implement them in respect to the general direction and broad pattern of the land use and physical development and conservation in Peninsular Malaysia . It is the physical interpretation of the five years National Economic Plan of the country. The plan is essentially necessary to assist the function of the National Physical Planning Council in promoting within the framework of the national policy, town and country as an efficient instrument for the improvement of the physical
This means that any development of land and buildings, require planning approval from the Local Planning Authority. Planning permission will be granted if the development is in conformity with the statutory Local Plan, such as technical agencies requirements and public objections. The planning system is however continuously evolving to respond positively to new emerging trends and changes, such as increasing demand for more public engagements and appropriate spatial adaptations to combat climate change, to face the wider uncertainties of the 21st century.

ii) Perspectives from FAO
From my reading through Guidelines for land use planning (FAO ,1993) there will be a process of land use planning when we need a change, need an improvement and need a quite different pattern of land use dictated by changing circumstances. This decision making process will implemented when ;
• the need of changes or to prevent unwanted changes must be accepted by the people involved
• there must be the political will and ability to put the plan into
The officer can’t take enforcement due to redundant policy and regulations. Regulations have to be publicly accepted if they are to work. There aren't enough policemen to go around imposing unwanted regulations in rural areas. Land-use planning is as much a matter of public education as of land-use zoning and regulation. Another issue is the NPP set up based on “bottom up planning” or “top down planning”?. As I go through the NPP its seem that all the policies and strategies plan was formulated by the top management of our country. Thus in FAO it would be nice if its starting at the local level: bottom-up planning "Bottom-up" planning is initiated at the local level and involves active participation by the local community. The experience and local knowledge of the land users and local technical staff are mobilized to identify development priorities and to draw up and implement plans. Some of the advantages people will be more enthusiastic about a plan seen as their own, and they will be more willing to participate in its implementation and monitoring, more popular awareness of land-use problems and opportunities, plans can pay close attention to local constraints, whether these are