Market for Planning

Planners always believe that planning is important to make sure that the human settlement is well planned and conducive for staying. In other words, without proper planning, the city development might not be systematic and in good order. However, in reality the city is planned and developed by the market. It is market demand and need that spur the direction and magnitude of development, in which planning is mere a tool to steer and guide this demand. For example, the demand for living in city centre and close to the work place has requested the development of apartment in the inner city centre area. The planning, has subsequently come out with the guidelines on service apartment development. We can plan, but if the market is not response well to the planning, then it will end up of failure of planning. Cases like industrial and commercial zones reserved in the new township development without takers are classic example. Although the authorities can plan and to push up the implementation of plan by providing incentives, the success of the plan is still very much depended on the market, I believe.