The Power of Collaboration: is it the path to success?

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” - Henry Ford

Community planning brings ideas, people and societies together for the effective resolution of current and future needs of built environment....

The Spirit of Reform in the late nineteen century pervading United States, Canada and other countries stemmed from the deteriorating living conditions as a result of industrialization. The success of these efforts are evident today. Different approaches were applied like regional planning for urban and rural areas, integrated resource planning, slum clearance, public housing in America and community planning in Canada. The consistent struggle of learning from the past mistakes, rectifying, improving and innovating new solutions in the planning field is as much relevant today as in last two centuries.

Through the readings, one of the most successful aspect of these endeavors is the “Multi-Input Development” in an area by government, civil society organizations, and philanthropists, educated and professional citizens. From the study of American planning history, competing states like New York and Chicago were working to upgrade housing, public facilities like sewer, clean water supply, roads, and railway lines; in conjunction with recreational spaces like parks and playgrounds. This regional approach along with resources management; sowed the seeds to establishing the structure of planning across America.

Subsequently, the early twentieth century brought on the wave of suburbanization movement; advocated by Thomas Adam and various others; as alleviation to desperate city situation in America and Canada both. Alongside, urban renewal was the new remedy for blighted slum areas; bulldozing and rehousing the poor in tenement housing sometimes worse than previous homes through public funding. This method came under severe criticism in late twentieth century (1960’s) to be replaced by rehabilitation and conservation of slum areas. Patrick Geddes was one of the professionals who advocated centralization, extensive rebuilding of blighted areas and conservative surgery method to understand human needs in intervention. Diagnosis before treatment is his famous motto. One of his most important contributions is the survey technique to determine the nature of work and equilibrium amongst people and environment to improve living conditions. Another novel approach in planning during this time was the emergence of zoning to manage land use and protecting land values. This was a way to separate incompatible uses to maintain the character, health and economic value of residential spaces.

In Canada, the Second World War (1940’s) and urbanization brought in new demand of housing, growth and renewal of old areas. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Cooperation; a civil society organization fostered community and planning programs in universities to develop planning expertise and establish research for the field. The committee also recommended involving citizens in planning their own communities, leading to various citizen movements. During this phase, broad approaches were developed in community planning relating to beauty/orderliness, health, comprehensiveness, conservation of resources, democratic participation, efficiency and equity,. The establishment of community planning institutions as semi-independent bodies, restructuring of local government systems and planning legislation were some of the key aspects nurtured during this time. Today, the structure of planning is established in credit to these efforts leading to zoning laws, planning boards, official community plans, municipal power, a quasi-judicial appeal procedure and public hearing.

This underlies the community planning of today; what must not be forgotten is the collaborative power of multi input development by various stakeholders in this realm.