The main goal of spatial planning is a long-term planning, economic and distribution of social activities in the land area regarding overt and covert capabilities of regions occurring in order to optimal use of facilities and capabilities, and identify special role and responsibility of each area on the basis of its abilities so that it would be coordinated with other areas and aiming to national development. In our country, history of spatial planning studies dates back to the early 50s of solar year, but it seems that yet the spatial planning dimension does not have a favorable position in the country’s economic development programs after several decades. In theoretical domain, role, importance, necessity and conceptualization of spatial planning have been accomplished well and there was also an institution called national center of spatial planning in former Management and Planning Organization in institutional dimension. There has been an office called application integration, spatial planning and regional development in its newer organizations i.e.  President’s Deputy of Strategic Planning and Control, and there is also an integrated spatial planning, regional development and environment council in the revived and new form of Management and Planning Organization; in other words, there has been an institutional mechanism for spatial planning subject after the Islamic Revolution and it has been emphasized in the development programs, particularly the 5th one. As it has been discussed in paragraph 183 of the Fifth Development Plan Act, about government commitment in order to move in the direction of spatial planning programs and also create encouraging mechanisms to enter private sector and non-governmental public organizations for implementing spatial planning policies. However, the important issue of spatial planning has been neglected for implementing and our country is unbalanced and inharmonious in terms of level of development.

In this regard and in order to remove deficiencies of previous programs and in line with the goals of 20-year perspective document and general policies of resistive economy, it has been implicitly emphasized in the general policies of the sixth development plan document issued recently by the Supreme Leader to the Government; as it has been mentioned in paragraph 19 of this document and under the economic affairs:

“Work division and determining national role in the areas and provinces, regions, beaches and islands of country observing its necessities in the related general policies framework in order to increase national wealth production and support government of investing in less developed and rural areas.” 

As it can be seen, the necessity of attention to planning on the basis of determining the role of areas and provinces and observing their necessities, which is the capacity and potentials of development, has been emphasized properly and explicitly and it highlights the importance of spatial planning look to the development plans.

Therefore, it is necessary the issue of spatial planning be followed by the Government, in line with exact and wise look of the Supreme Leader, in the context of its executive policies to achieve national balanced development in implementing the 6th development plan. Since spatial planning has both planning and executive dimensions, centers, organizations and scientific institutions such as scientific associations can accomplish important and useful measures and aids in the stages of recognizing and decision making of the country’s areas and regions and pave the way for knowledge-based development and based on exact scientific recognition.

Source : ISNA news agency

Date : September 15, 2015.

News code : 94062415584