Managing sustainable development through planning conditions

Sustainable development has added to the range of issues included in the mediation of interests with which the planning system is engaged. It is indeed arguable that in the planning system the concept of sustainable development has been adopted more firmly on a statutory basis than in other field. This does not necessarily means that a systematic transformation of the planning agenda has occurred. Despite the improved development plan, the planning system is still underpinned by a presumption in favour of development which to some is a sign of inherent contradiction with sustainable development. Several areas of actions should therefore be considered in the local planning strategy to achieve a more radical approach to environmental sustainability. These include conservation, shaping the locational pattern of development and accommodating environmentally desirable qualities in all development. This article considers how far local planning authorities through their development control powers are likely to fulfil this role. This article examines the conditions which accompanied planning approval to determine the extent of control pertaining to environmental aspects. The results indicate the lack of consideration given to environmental related matters compared to the traditional concerns of land use planning. Finally the article discusses the constraint of the present system and prospects to facilitate the achievement of sustainable developmen

Drought and desertification management in arid and semi-arid zones of Northern Nigeria

Purpose: This paper seeks to review the state of desertification in Nigeria, historical trends and past national efforts as well as ongoing programs for combating the fast-spreading desert conditions in the arid zones of the country. Design/methodology/approach: The approach has been carried out through a comprehensive review analysis and detailed assessment on several methods of approach which includes archival materials as well as published government documents, field observation and learned background information of the working and funding dynamics of the program to combat desertification. Findings: The findings of this paper reveal that the failure of the past government effort in combating desertification in Nigeria is a result of the policies and the programs not having been designed to adequately tackle the problem of drought and desertification and of the phenomena being treated as sectoral issues rather than an integrated whole. Practical implications: This paper has practical implication for anyone interested in sustainable management of drought and desertification in the arid and semi arid zones of the world. Originality/value: The paper has articulated success and failure of the government programs in combating the twin environmental problems of drought and desertification in Nigeria and also shows that government could significantly combat desertification through sustainable management of its projects/programs if adequate resources are employed

Public Participation Efficiency in Traditional Cities of Developing Countries: A Perspective of Urban Development in Bida, Nigeria

AbstractPublic participation as a process is to incorporate citizens into decision making in developing countries. Despite axiomatic desirability in public participation, there has been insignificant motivation by the citizens. Cities which may involve more redevelopment project, public participation is more complex in developing the urban economy. The study aims at determining factors of public participation efficiency by examining the mechanism of participatory process in Nigeria. 344 questionnaires were administered; using principal component analysis method. These findings suggest areas to improve participation programme in Planning and management of socio-economic activities in cities

The socio-technical factors in the use of GIS at the Planning Departments of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall

The development of GIS has progressed dramatically in recent years and its use has proliferated in government planning departments in Malaysia. The majority of the information utilised for planning activities such as development control has a geographical component. The argument is that creating a successful GIS within planning organisation must be seen from a socio-technical rather than just a technical perspective. This paper presents an investigation on the use of GIS technology, specifically at the Department of Urban Planning (DUP) and the Master Plan Department (MPD) in the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (KLCH) Malaysia. The paper employed a combination of a case study, a semi-structured interview, and a survey questionnaire and observations of the activities of the department. The findings demonstrate that the skill, knowledge and training influence the planning staff to use GIS effectively. It is proved that the manner in which these factors interact with the GIS determines the processes which affect the utilisation process of automated systems. The paper concludes that a situation of mutual dependency whereby the socio-technical factors influence the utilisation of GIS and, at the same time, the technology has various impacts in terms of benefits and problems on the planning departments and staff involved. Thus, the identification of the socio-technical factors and the manner in which the users interact enables greater understanding of the processes affecting the effective use of GIS at the DUP and MPD, KLCH

Urban tourism in developing countries: in the case of Melaka (Malacca) City, Malaysia

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is an economical small-scale technology that has the potential to augment safe water supply with least disturbance to the environment, especially in the drier regions. In Nigeria, less than half of the population has reasonable access to reliable water supply. This study in northeastern Nigeria determined the rate of water consumption and current water sources before estimating the amount of rainwater that can potentially be harvested. A survey on 200 households in four villages namely, Gayama, Akate, Sidi and Sabongari established that more than half of them rely on sources that are susceptible to drought, i. e. shallow hand-dug wells and natural water bodies, while only 3% harvest rainwater. Taraba and Gombe states where the villages are located have a mean annual rainfall of 1,064 mm and 915 mm respectively. Annual RWH potential per household was estimated to be 63. 35 m 3 for Taraba state and 54. 47 m 3 for Gombe state. The amount could meet the water demand for the village of Gayama although the other three villages would have to supplement their rainwater with other sources. There is therefore sufficient rainwater to supplement the need of the rural communities if the existing mechanism and low involvement of the villagers in RWH activities could be improved

The Impact of New-build Gentrification in Iskandar Malaysia: A case study of Nusajaya

AbstractA practice of adopting In-situ concrete (ISC) construction method for wet areas in pre-cast concrete (PC) buildings to overcome leakage problem is a setback for full IBS adoption. Various options explored while developing ideal solution only to discover the answer is possible within the existing parameters of IBS. The proposal adopts composite construction comprised of metal permanent formwork and ISC casting for toilet floor, while PC components remained as buildings structural framing system. This proposal combined different elements of IBS systems offers all the advantages associated with IBS; minimize wastages, better quality, shorter construction period and minimized unskilled workers

A Structural Equation Model of Improvement in Quality of Life in a Community-Based Development Projects in Nigeria

The lingering problem of poverty has prompted many countries to adopt community-based development strategy towards improving the Quality of Life (QoL) of their citizens. Numerous studies have focused on assessing QoL by measuring the manifested (measured) variables and ignored the significant contribution of some “latent” factors. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), this paper investigated the factors that influence improvement in the QoL in a Community-based Poverty Reduction Project (CPRP) in Nigeria. The model indicates that the measured variables cause only 36% (R2 = 0.36) of the reduction in poverty level of the project beneficiaries. This finding implies that there are other “hidden” factors responsible for the improvement in the quality of life.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Quality of Life, Community-based Development Projects, Poverty Reduction, Structural Equation Modellin

Horizontal coherence in environmental policies of Iskandar Malaysia

To achieve a sustainable development, all related levels and sectors of policy making need to be in line with environmental considerations. Iskandar Malaysia, the second significant regional economic project of Malaysia, in an effort to be recognized as an international standing sustainable development, has formulated its policies in the form of 32 blueprints. Each of these documents targets a specific development aspect. Out of these blueprints, Environmental Planning Blueprint (EPB) aims at ensuring that all aspects of development are environmentally sustainable. This study tried to figure out if other blueprints are in line with principles and guidelines of EPB. Therefore, we selected Livable Neighborhood and Design Guidelines Blueprint (LNDGB) as a sample and assessed its horizontal policy coherence with EPB. Content analysis used as the main method of the assessment. Results showed that LNDGB mostly was coherent with policies of EPB and no serious contradiction found between them. However, LNDGB did not cover all features determined by EPB

HOUSEHOLD PARTICIPATION IN RECYCLING PROGRAMS: A CASE STUDY FROM MALAYSIA

The increase in per capita income and rapid urbanization, have contributed significantly to changes in consumption behaviour leading to increased waste generation.  Waste disposed to landfill sites is fast becoming unfeasible thus requiring a more effective management of waste material involving waste reduction, reuse and recycling. The success of recycling program, however, is largely dependent on household participation activities which are essentially behaviour driven. The recycling performance of Malaysian households is still low as it stands at 5.5% compared to Singapore and Vietnam which are 56% and 22% respectively. This study examines recycling behaviour among households and the influence of socioeconomic, demographic and behavioural characteristics on households’ participation in recycling program in Malaysia.  A sample of 300 randomly selected household were surveyed.  The findings revealed that most of the households (70%) claim that they are practicing recycling particularly types of paper and old clothes. The factors of participation in recycling show equal results both for environmental concerns and economic benefits. Those who did not participate in recycling, listed household issues or behaviour, namely lack of time and materials to recycle, inconvenient, lack of space, lack of facilities and information as well as laziness, as barriers. The paper finally highlights the factors which can encourage household to be involved in recycling and give recommendations to the authorities in terms of facilities and infrastructures to facilitate the program