Who is the planning authority when it comes to deciding the future development of an area. Most part of the World would see the local government playing an important role of mapping out the development trend and direction. Only when it comes to the issues of cross border affair, then an inter-regional or cities agency involvement would come in handy. This is logical as the local government being the governance system closet to the grassroot is supposedly knew what best for the their area. However, with the advancement of ICT and globalisation in which flowing of information, capital, investment and even human resources are so mobile and freely, this analogy might not be able to apply in full. On top of that the effect of climate change which is borderless compounded the need for closer cooperation and understanding of different agencies at various level.
In the case of Malaysia, under the provision of Act 172, the local authority is the local planning authority, and rightly so. However, when it comes to making decision on development direction and projects esepcially the mega project, it is always the case of refering to the government higher up, that is the State Government for guidance. In some States, even the application is considered at the State level before any advice to pass down to the local authority to consider as a guide. A guide? Well, it normally carries through without questions.
Can the State Government overrule decision on planning permission application made by the local planning authority? Obviously the answer is NO because that is the channel of Planning Appeal Board. Thereby the question of State Government approved a project after the project has been rejected by the local planning authority should not arise at all. If the State Government has different opinion, it can always go back to the procedure of issueing directive for the local planning authority to abide to the directive and guidelines, I presume.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Value For Money
We always talk about value for money when the procurement of services is evaluated. For example, if an electrical appliance can perform multitasks and having longer life span, then we will think that it is worth the money spent. Similarly, a product can deliver performance beyond the expectation will definitely cause a very pleasant surprise. However, money for value is very subjective depending on how you evaluate it and what kind of parameters are taken into consideration.
For businesses, previously the only consideration is perhaps the bottom line of profit. The bigger the margin, the higher the value is. However, nowadays with higher demand of CSR from the public, apart from profit making, public concerns that affect the corporate and brand image of a company will also be taken into consideration. These include environmental and social objectives of the company such as their stand and ethic on sustainable environmental management, disabled people, child labour, fair trade, youth, gender equity and etc.
For local authorities, value of a service or development project is obviously cannot be measured fiscally but together with other socio-economic consideration. Many of us know that building a community hall is financially not viable as the return of investment is much longer. Similarly providing the hawkers centre or wet market or stadium are not business driven but rather fulfilling the community needs. Thereby, it is arguable for taking only financial parameter as the sole consideration in measuring whether a project is value for money or not. Other parameters such as community need, social and value enhancement, community development, political mileage, institutional responsibilities are equally important. However, these parameters are qualitative in nature and subjective depending on circumstances. It is a difficult task for quantifying these parameters. I presume, a more structure and inclusive way of measuring is required.
For businesses, previously the only consideration is perhaps the bottom line of profit. The bigger the margin, the higher the value is. However, nowadays with higher demand of CSR from the public, apart from profit making, public concerns that affect the corporate and brand image of a company will also be taken into consideration. These include environmental and social objectives of the company such as their stand and ethic on sustainable environmental management, disabled people, child labour, fair trade, youth, gender equity and etc.
For local authorities, value of a service or development project is obviously cannot be measured fiscally but together with other socio-economic consideration. Many of us know that building a community hall is financially not viable as the return of investment is much longer. Similarly providing the hawkers centre or wet market or stadium are not business driven but rather fulfilling the community needs. Thereby, it is arguable for taking only financial parameter as the sole consideration in measuring whether a project is value for money or not. Other parameters such as community need, social and value enhancement, community development, political mileage, institutional responsibilities are equally important. However, these parameters are qualitative in nature and subjective depending on circumstances. It is a difficult task for quantifying these parameters. I presume, a more structure and inclusive way of measuring is required.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Driver of Decision Making
What is the driver of decision making? It will depend on who, whom, when, where and magnitude of the decision made. For deciding where to eat and shop, it is very much depended on an individual's experience and own desire as well as circumstances during the moment decision has to take. For deciding problem solving solution, many factors have to be taken into consideration such as the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution. For example, deciding on relocating the unlicensed hawkers to new trading site, first to come to mind is the acceptance of the stakeholders involved. Hence, engaging them from the beginning will be a good start. Secondly, other social, political and economic factors have to be considered as well. It is a complicated process as many quarters with different interest and priority will be involved.
When it comes to city planning and management, the decision making process is getting more complicated as various stakeholders with different interest and agenda come into the picture. For developers and land owners, they want higher enhancement value for their properties. Similarly, for the businesses they want higher volume of turn over. For the service providers, they want to provide services as efficient as possible. For local authority, it is the priority of making the city a liveable and sustainable one. Top of the list, i think it is the want of people who reside here. Generally, they want to remain status qua if the area has been vibrant and liveable since their day of living here. They would not like changes that come with a heavy price disturbing their daily routine of lifestyle. For example, taking extra half an hour for commuting from the house to work place is definitely not welcome. Sandwiching in the long queue of traffic during school hour and encountering broken drains and mismanaged facilities will make them angry. They will always argue that these issues are not their want and were result of wrong decision taken during the planning process of those who have been entrusted to plan so. For this, they want to be involved in the decision making. I presume, aspiring for better and liveable environment is the driver for their decision making.
Having driver alone is not sufficient because decision making is an art. It needs right approaches, means and techniques for making an appropriate decision. Although no decision can please all the people, but the least is to fulfill the plight of most of the people, I believe.
When it comes to city planning and management, the decision making process is getting more complicated as various stakeholders with different interest and agenda come into the picture. For developers and land owners, they want higher enhancement value for their properties. Similarly, for the businesses they want higher volume of turn over. For the service providers, they want to provide services as efficient as possible. For local authority, it is the priority of making the city a liveable and sustainable one. Top of the list, i think it is the want of people who reside here. Generally, they want to remain status qua if the area has been vibrant and liveable since their day of living here. They would not like changes that come with a heavy price disturbing their daily routine of lifestyle. For example, taking extra half an hour for commuting from the house to work place is definitely not welcome. Sandwiching in the long queue of traffic during school hour and encountering broken drains and mismanaged facilities will make them angry. They will always argue that these issues are not their want and were result of wrong decision taken during the planning process of those who have been entrusted to plan so. For this, they want to be involved in the decision making. I presume, aspiring for better and liveable environment is the driver for their decision making.
Having driver alone is not sufficient because decision making is an art. It needs right approaches, means and techniques for making an appropriate decision. Although no decision can please all the people, but the least is to fulfill the plight of most of the people, I believe.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Climate Smart Development
To enhance the competitiveness and resiliency of a city, climate smart development must be planned. It simply mean how to utilize the natural phenomenon to the best use or to shape the way how to avoid extreme weather from impacting the city development. For example, increasing the area of green coverage is not only about preserving bio-diversity but rather another measure of absorbing large quantity of rain water runoff due to increase of rainfall intensity. To me, this is climate smart development. Similarly, green building innovation of making roof top garden and planting on top of the roof for cooling effect, vertical planting at the fencing area, recycling the heat resulting from the air con motor for water heating purpose are other examples of climate smart measures. These mitigation actions responding to climate change will help enhancing the competitiveness of a city.
For the city with natural disaster occurrence, adaptation in avoiding any big damage and loss of property as well as quick returning to the normal life after myth is the order of the day. In order to do so, climate smart design for development is essential. For example, loading factor withstand the effect of earthquake and solid embankment for structure near to the drainage system and etc are example of fine adaptation.
In this respect, designers and city managers have to adopt and adapt to the climate smart design and management, I presume. This requires out of box thinking and innovation.
For the city with natural disaster occurrence, adaptation in avoiding any big damage and loss of property as well as quick returning to the normal life after myth is the order of the day. In order to do so, climate smart design for development is essential. For example, loading factor withstand the effect of earthquake and solid embankment for structure near to the drainage system and etc are example of fine adaptation.
In this respect, designers and city managers have to adopt and adapt to the climate smart design and management, I presume. This requires out of box thinking and innovation.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Adaptation in Crisis Management
Adaptation means predict and prevent a disaster or at least predict and bring to the minimum damages from a disaster. Similarly, crisis management has the same effect in which we make preparation on spontaneous response in the anticipation of any unwanted and unplanned event. We do not want to be caught unprepared that endangering the life and causing property loss. This is especially so for public office and elected representatives. You must be seen on the command seat in dealing with a crisis, evacuate and settle the victims quicker enough, remedy the damages in shorter period possible. This obviously requires strong leadership but more importantly an adaptation plan must be in place.
Putting climate change aside, in actual fact adaptation is an important component in the urban environmental management system. We have to adapt to changing circumstances and response to it efficiently. For example, removing a fallen tree which is obstructing the traffic flow during heavy down pour becomes a priority and quick action should be taken instead of waiting for the contractor to clear the site during his routine cleaning work. Similarly, changing the malfunction street light bulbs and towing away the blocking vehicles should be done immediately and with instinct response. If sensible response cannot be taken faster enough because of bureaucratic requirement, then perhaps an adaptation plan with clear demarcation of duties, resources provision and line of command can be of help, I presume.
Putting climate change aside, in actual fact adaptation is an important component in the urban environmental management system. We have to adapt to changing circumstances and response to it efficiently. For example, removing a fallen tree which is obstructing the traffic flow during heavy down pour becomes a priority and quick action should be taken instead of waiting for the contractor to clear the site during his routine cleaning work. Similarly, changing the malfunction street light bulbs and towing away the blocking vehicles should be done immediately and with instinct response. If sensible response cannot be taken faster enough because of bureaucratic requirement, then perhaps an adaptation plan with clear demarcation of duties, resources provision and line of command can be of help, I presume.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Communication Breakdown
I went to Putrajaya Marriot Hotel attending a seminar recently without knowing that the seminar was canceled at eleventh hours due to poor response. The cancellation was not conveyed to the office. This caught me unprepared and inconvenience my daily routine. While it is a prerogative for organiser to make changes due to reason best known to them, informing participants on changes made should be construed as minimum courtesy call.
Communication breakdown or even misunderstanding leading to conflict tends to happen because of these insensitivity. Perhaps it is timely for public relationship management becomes a prerequisite assessment for civic service after all serving people to our best ability is the ultimate aim. Most of the time, public notification or suggestion turned out to be a complaint if the formers are not well taken care of or action taken being channeled back to the informers. A standard operation procedure has to be in placed reminding everyone the steps should be taken or else it is a possibility that public outcry can happen. For example, schedule for collection of rubbish and means of reporting the service performance can be communicated to the residents. Any complaint on uncollected rubbish should be deal with immediately and more importantly the result of checking should be informed. If quick response and action can be taken, the notion of getting more and more unsatisfactory voice on the same subject from the same people can be diminished. This is called broken window policy. Fixing the broken window quick enough until no other similar action re occur faster than what we have repaired will serve as a deterrence. Similar approach or policy can be applied to act of vandalism, I presume.
Communication breakdown or even misunderstanding leading to conflict tends to happen because of these insensitivity. Perhaps it is timely for public relationship management becomes a prerequisite assessment for civic service after all serving people to our best ability is the ultimate aim. Most of the time, public notification or suggestion turned out to be a complaint if the formers are not well taken care of or action taken being channeled back to the informers. A standard operation procedure has to be in placed reminding everyone the steps should be taken or else it is a possibility that public outcry can happen. For example, schedule for collection of rubbish and means of reporting the service performance can be communicated to the residents. Any complaint on uncollected rubbish should be deal with immediately and more importantly the result of checking should be informed. If quick response and action can be taken, the notion of getting more and more unsatisfactory voice on the same subject from the same people can be diminished. This is called broken window policy. Fixing the broken window quick enough until no other similar action re occur faster than what we have repaired will serve as a deterrence. Similar approach or policy can be applied to act of vandalism, I presume.
Climate Change: Can any City Avoiding it?
Nowadays, incorporating climate change adaptation input in all planning and implementation sphere of development is unavoidable. Climate change resulting in sea water level up, rainfall intensity increased and extreme weather impacted on many facet of life and module of development. Adopting and adjusting to the changes is not a choice but rather a necessity. Soonest or latest is only a matter of time but the more preparation is made will determine the competitiveness and resilience of a city.
We experience the sudden flooding in the urban area even with good drainage system in Orchard Road of Singapore. At the same time the long and sustained flooding in Bangkok Metropolitan is another example that require the city planner to re-access and reshape strategies to combat these changes. For example, drainage system design specification of 100 years has been reduced to 70 years life span due to the sea water level increases in which engineers would have to design for a higher loading factor. This, of course will increase the cost of infrastructure construction.
The increase of rainfall intensity doubled with lesser green coverage in the city has also resulted in heavy runoff during rainy day. Hard surface denies the chance for water to sip through the earth, but rather to let heavy downpour to spell over the road. The risk of flooding for a low land area with insufficient capacity of drain doubled with a clogged drain is definitely higher now. As an adaptation measure, providing larger green coverage area is essential and at the same time retain and slow down the runoff during heavy downpour is critical. Making sure that every building owner shares the responsibility of collecting rain water is hence become a must. City manager need to ensure that the system of rain water harvesting is installed correctly and functioned properly and efficiently.
The above justifies the call for all cities regardless of low land, coastal, highland, inland or basically all settlements to prepare plan for climate change adaptation and mitigation. For the case of some cities who might not see the need of doing it urgently as they are not affected directly, however sooner or later it will become a crisis and caught unprepared if no advance preparation is made.
We experience the sudden flooding in the urban area even with good drainage system in Orchard Road of Singapore. At the same time the long and sustained flooding in Bangkok Metropolitan is another example that require the city planner to re-access and reshape strategies to combat these changes. For example, drainage system design specification of 100 years has been reduced to 70 years life span due to the sea water level increases in which engineers would have to design for a higher loading factor. This, of course will increase the cost of infrastructure construction.
The increase of rainfall intensity doubled with lesser green coverage in the city has also resulted in heavy runoff during rainy day. Hard surface denies the chance for water to sip through the earth, but rather to let heavy downpour to spell over the road. The risk of flooding for a low land area with insufficient capacity of drain doubled with a clogged drain is definitely higher now. As an adaptation measure, providing larger green coverage area is essential and at the same time retain and slow down the runoff during heavy downpour is critical. Making sure that every building owner shares the responsibility of collecting rain water is hence become a must. City manager need to ensure that the system of rain water harvesting is installed correctly and functioned properly and efficiently.
The above justifies the call for all cities regardless of low land, coastal, highland, inland or basically all settlements to prepare plan for climate change adaptation and mitigation. For the case of some cities who might not see the need of doing it urgently as they are not affected directly, however sooner or later it will become a crisis and caught unprepared if no advance preparation is made.
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