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Spatial, environmental and resource policy in the developing countries
Third World regional studies SPATIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE POLICY IN THE VELOPING
AND DE-
COUNTRIES
edited by Manas Chattergee, Peter Nijkamp. T.R. Lakshmanan and C.R. Pathak Gower, A~ders~~t, Hants, UK, 1983
CITIES
November
1984
has concentrated on high-capitaoutput, capital-intensive investments which. due to economies of scale. naturally gravitate toward urban centres. This has resulted in a serious neglect of the agricultural sector and supporting intermediate settlements on which most of the population depends. This results in serious imbalances in rural/urban incomes and high rates of migration to cities. Secondly, the quality of life and environment in these primate settlements is worsening. The vast majority of citv dwellers who on the surface app& to ‘benefit’ from the present structure of national development in Third World countries, suffer a cruel and deprived existence. The authors have also shown concern that such a pattern of development Icads to political instability which is exploited by feuding power groups in terms of ethnic. religious. regional or linguistic differences. While a new Westernized elite is created. it is the less affluent Iabourer, rural worker and small farmer who suffer from political violence, scarcity and poor distribution of essential commodities and services. In the 1970s. during which most of these authors tempered their thinking, the Third World faced ;I severe energy shortage which amplified these concerns dramatically. The gains of ‘Green Revolutions’ in cash crops of the IYhOs and early lY7Os were eaten up in market gluts of commercial agriculture products which suppressed prices. Greatly expanded hard currency requirements for energy further amplified resource constraints and curtailed the social sectors of development. In Part I of the book, ‘Planning issues and techniques of analysis’. a range of methods for studying this imbalance is revealed by such luminaries as Walter Isard and Britton Harris. To a great extent these papers exhibit both the strength and weakness of regional science itself. In its striving to comprehensive and be quantitative. predictive it has isolated itself into an abstract. internalized world in which key political and social phenomena are kept as constant variables. Spatial relations between a few variables
CITIES November
1984
Regional
neatly explain an imbalance no one knows what to do about in real lAanning exercises. Part II. ‘Urban and metropolitan growth patterns’. includes ;I number of papers on policies, strategies and planning aimed at resolving this structural imbalance. Lloyd Rodwin’s paper on technical assistance and national policy reviews the aims and background of regional development. raises blunt questions about the poor state of the art and reviews the uncertainties within which ‘experts‘ have overasserted themselves. The paper candidly points out that the principal beneficiary of ‘development aid’ is often the donor country or institution.
development.
sent collection
of papers
proof of this. Howjever. late
The preis concrctc
planncr~
observers,
as
or
of ;I process
to bc wrong.
We require
ledge
about
the
run
and articu-
practitioners’
handmaidens
they know more know-
conditions
under
which and the ~~KK~~ss~~.s through which implementors
behave
and
act.
gional science has remained
Re-
the craft
of academics and the art of consultants who plan from ;I great distance.
Case
studies of ‘live
have
a
been already
welcome complex
its
on
would
addition
to
this
presentation. itself
distance
situations.
Part III. ‘Population. housing and land use: problems and policy’, is ;I catch-all chapter of micro studies of covering migration. some interest. labour and transport patterns in a variety of unrelated contexts. John Brush makes a contribution which is a continuation of his classic. detailed studies of growth and spatial structure of Indian cities. Ved Prakash presents an excellent review of the problems of providing basic infrastructural services
projects’
‘science’
from
the required
of spatial
the risk of being intelligent
Classic studies
m
contributed
and economic
The
and mobilizing
has
science
greatly to our understanding
There
has
from
suffered
rciil
world
is an overemphasis
fundamental
research
divorced In
from real world applications.
post-
graduate institutes this is attributed to unconcerned politicians and inept professional decision makers. Converscly. in the field of practice regional and class inequity are the focal concerns. Processes of social. political, mic and
spatial
require
deeper
study and professional
if
arc
an d
rcsourccs
of low savings and income levels. Per capita municipal revenues and expenditures have increased marginally in a context of rapid urbanization. This chapter. ‘Financing urban development in dcv&ping countries’. is ;I statc-of-theart product worth singling out for detailed study. Part IV. ‘Resources and rural development’. deals primarily with
econo-
concentration
review effective
a situation
power
we
planners
to
become
of regional
de v c I o p m e n t
ourselves
more growth
i so I 21t i n g
By
into
the study of methods
and techniques
wc isolate our profes-
sion from those who require vices. The
present
volume
our serbegins to
reflect an interest in real world processes, amidst the padding tical models.
methods
which have characterized literature
on regional
of mathema-
and techniques most of the planning
over
the past three decade\.
issues of energy and equity. The transfer of technology, and
impact
gional
Christopher C. Benninger Centre for Development Studies and Activities Poona, India
energy conservation
of urbanization
development
and
re-
on the environ-
ment are reviewed.
Working papers and reports The editor welcomes and
other
journal.
All
published
information mntcrinl
correspondence
on working for
possible
should be \ent
papers. reports revie\v
in the
to the editorial
address on the inside front cover.
629
AND DE-
COUNTRIES
edited by Manas Chattergee, Peter Nijkamp. T.R. Lakshmanan and C.R. Pathak Gower, A~ders~~t, Hants, UK, 1983
CITIES
November
1984
has concentrated on high-capitaoutput, capital-intensive investments which. due to economies of scale. naturally gravitate toward urban centres. This has resulted in a serious neglect of the agricultural sector and supporting intermediate settlements on which most of the population depends. This results in serious imbalances in rural/urban incomes and high rates of migration to cities. Secondly, the quality of life and environment in these primate settlements is worsening. The vast majority of citv dwellers who on the surface app& to ‘benefit’ from the present structure of national development in Third World countries, suffer a cruel and deprived existence. The authors have also shown concern that such a pattern of development Icads to political instability which is exploited by feuding power groups in terms of ethnic. religious. regional or linguistic differences. While a new Westernized elite is created. it is the less affluent Iabourer, rural worker and small farmer who suffer from political violence, scarcity and poor distribution of essential commodities and services. In the 1970s. during which most of these authors tempered their thinking, the Third World faced ;I severe energy shortage which amplified these concerns dramatically. The gains of ‘Green Revolutions’ in cash crops of the IYhOs and early lY7Os were eaten up in market gluts of commercial agriculture products which suppressed prices. Greatly expanded hard currency requirements for energy further amplified resource constraints and curtailed the social sectors of development. In Part I of the book, ‘Planning issues and techniques of analysis’. a range of methods for studying this imbalance is revealed by such luminaries as Walter Isard and Britton Harris. To a great extent these papers exhibit both the strength and weakness of regional science itself. In its striving to comprehensive and be quantitative. predictive it has isolated itself into an abstract. internalized world in which key political and social phenomena are kept as constant variables. Spatial relations between a few variables
CITIES November
1984
Regional
neatly explain an imbalance no one knows what to do about in real lAanning exercises. Part II. ‘Urban and metropolitan growth patterns’. includes ;I number of papers on policies, strategies and planning aimed at resolving this structural imbalance. Lloyd Rodwin’s paper on technical assistance and national policy reviews the aims and background of regional development. raises blunt questions about the poor state of the art and reviews the uncertainties within which ‘experts‘ have overasserted themselves. The paper candidly points out that the principal beneficiary of ‘development aid’ is often the donor country or institution.
development.
sent collection
of papers
proof of this. Howjever. late
The preis concrctc
planncr~
observers,
as
or
of ;I process
to bc wrong.
We require
ledge
about
the
run
and articu-
practitioners’
handmaidens
they know more know-
conditions
under
which and the ~~KK~~ss~~.s through which implementors
behave
and
act.
gional science has remained
Re-
the craft
of academics and the art of consultants who plan from ;I great distance.
Case
studies of ‘live
have
a
been already
welcome complex
its
on
would
addition
to
this
presentation. itself
distance
situations.
Part III. ‘Population. housing and land use: problems and policy’, is ;I catch-all chapter of micro studies of covering migration. some interest. labour and transport patterns in a variety of unrelated contexts. John Brush makes a contribution which is a continuation of his classic. detailed studies of growth and spatial structure of Indian cities. Ved Prakash presents an excellent review of the problems of providing basic infrastructural services
projects’
‘science’
from
the required
of spatial
the risk of being intelligent
Classic studies
m
contributed
and economic
The
and mobilizing
has
science
greatly to our understanding
There
has
from
suffered
rciil
world
is an overemphasis
fundamental
research
divorced In
from real world applications.
post-
graduate institutes this is attributed to unconcerned politicians and inept professional decision makers. Converscly. in the field of practice regional and class inequity are the focal concerns. Processes of social. political, mic and
spatial
require
deeper
study and professional
if
arc
an d
rcsourccs
of low savings and income levels. Per capita municipal revenues and expenditures have increased marginally in a context of rapid urbanization. This chapter. ‘Financing urban development in dcv&ping countries’. is ;I statc-of-theart product worth singling out for detailed study. Part IV. ‘Resources and rural development’. deals primarily with
econo-
concentration
review effective
a situation
power
we
planners
to
become
of regional
de v c I o p m e n t
ourselves
more growth
i so I 21t i n g
By
into
the study of methods
and techniques
wc isolate our profes-
sion from those who require vices. The
present
volume
our serbegins to
reflect an interest in real world processes, amidst the padding tical models.
methods
which have characterized literature
on regional
of mathema-
and techniques most of the planning
over
the past three decade\.
issues of energy and equity. The transfer of technology, and
impact
gional
Christopher C. Benninger Centre for Development Studies and Activities Poona, India
energy conservation
of urbanization
development
and
re-
on the environ-
ment are reviewed.
Working papers and reports The editor welcomes and
other
journal.
All
published
information mntcrinl
correspondence
on working for
possible
should be \ent
papers. reports revie\v
in the
to the editorial
address on the inside front cover.
629