CONCEPT OF SPACE AREA AND LOCATION ATTRIBUTES IN REGIONAL PLANNING

BY NAFIU ZAKARI DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY, PUNJAB

INTRODUCTION Concept of space, area and location attributes in regional planning is of very important for the success of any regional plan. Prior to the inception of the regional planning concept by MacKaye(1928) as a discipline, many regions were developed and continues to grow in all the direction s. Gradually, the problems of both industrially and agriculturally depressed regions and increasing metropolitan explosion began to attract the concern of the planners, even today especially in the less developed world the concept of regional planning is not well in practice or understood due to the misperception of the attributes of space, area and location as the vital elements in any successful regional planning. Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land/elsewhere than an individual city or town. Majid (2012) Regional planning has been recognised as a multi-disciplinary subject both in theory and practice. In the words of Patrick Geddes, the action

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space of a regional planner, the region, consist of place (Geography), folk (Sociology, Anthropology), and work (Economics and economy). The regional planning, through its action, seeks the unification of these three into a living whole.

Specific interventions and solutions will depend entirely on the needs of each planning, suitable area for the location of the plan and of course space, therefore, for the clear solution in achieving regional planning as an action plan, future oriented, for the people by the people to the people, detail understanding of these three concepts attribute is highly needed. SPACE This refers to the horizontal as well as vertical extend continuous area or expanse which is available, unoccupied by any phenomena. The need to check
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this attribute is essential so as to know the extent of the planning in both vertical, horizontal social and economical perspective, upon which other external phenomena may be influential, as not all the location can support a number of story building, while others support depending upon the nature of the location due to availability of the either vertical, horizontal, and socio-economic extent ready for the development due to the following factors: 1. Geographical space: this refers to the climatologically and geomorphologic ally highly influenced space which are vulnerable for development e.g. Earthquake prone zones, Hurricane zones. Karsts zones etc. 2. Economic space: Availability of the needed resources to shoulder the development need to be taken into consideration while planning a region and also to see the need for that, as such that haphazard structures can be avoided to serve the purpose of the planning. Also gains from the project need consideration. What economics called cost benefit analysis, like what happen in Saudi Arabia when they planted a wheat at the unbearable cost. 3. Social/political space: utilization of space should be highly in line with the designed land use pattern of the region to avoid conflict and other social crisis, for instance constructing an industry at the centre of a residential area, cultural spaces like worshipping places shrines and the

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likes, all these need to be address with care, perhaps the social and aesthetic aspect of planning could be achieved, when the extent of space is equally utilized for same land use pattern 4. Technological space: refers to the knowledge of manipulating the region to be planned i.e. the interaction between the planner and the aspects like in the planning of polder island, Euro tunnel, palm island etc among the successful highly technological plans but this problem mostly occur in the less developed countries where the technology is new or not available far say; as in the case of Kano state the state government road was constructed more than three times due to technological and geographic problem.

Economical

Geographical

Space

Technological

Social/Political

Figure 1 Space attributes in regional planning

Thus, attributes of space can summarily be seen as geographical, economical, technological, social or political, which in regional planning need to be considered and well understood.
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AREA Area refers to a region or part a region which can be of homogenous or heterogeneous characteristics in terms of it physical and socioeconomic nature, planning is always focusing into bridging disparities between less developed and developed regions, therefore the characteristic ability of an area need to be considered once the need for the development arises, certain areas are not physically or economically developable or incompatible with the project to be develop each area has a specific project that can be under taken onto to avoid mischief in planning for instance a marshy ,desert, mountain(highland or lowland),forest ,snow, socio-political areas etc.

Figure 2 Ajaokuta Steel Industry, Nigeria.

This is the picture of the abandoned steel industry in Nigeria for over 30 years due the failure of proper understanding of the nature the project location, as it is located where the iron ore was not of economic quality which later became unable to supply in the industry with the amount needed for the production.
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LOCATION Location in regional planning perspective can be seen as a position where the development placed or to be place. Position matters a lot as geographically divided as; 1. Absolute/co-ordinate, and. 2. Relative locations. 1. Absolute location is referencing with longitude and latitude (co-ordinates) which is fixed. Thus in regional planning absolute location reveal a number of information regarding an area, planner can get to know the location based on the climate be it at polar, tropics or subtropics which help in selecting best suitable region for specific development.

2. Relative location is the position of a particular phenomena or structure in relation to other, in regional planning relative location is important in
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demarcating and setting up of land use patterns, a planner place each phenomena or structure where appropriate and complementary to each other to create perfect system within the region. Where to place? Close to where? Beside where? For instant where to place fire station, hospital, market, or residents in an accessible manner of their frequent use or demand relative to each other ,which one to be close, far, or opposite to other. Complementarily.

Regional planning would became more effective and well success when the concept of space, area and location attributes are well conceptualised in the process identifying the need for the development, where to develop, how to develop in order to achieve the goal of regional planning as an action plan, future oriented activity. References: Chandna, R.C (2010) Regional Planning and Development (3rd edition) kalyani publishers, New Delhi. Hussain, M.(2012) Geography of India (3rd edition) Tata McGraw-Hill,Delhi. Danbazau, A.M(2007) spatial analysis ii Unpublished lecture note series, kust wudil.
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 www.google.com Wikipedia free encyclopaedia Regional Planning and development ( 23rd Jan, 2013).

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