Guidelines for Land Use Planning (Guide_LUP)

The Guidelines for Land Use Planning, published in 1993, summarize experiences gained by FAO on land use planning through numerous field projects and the consensus reached through expert consultations. In the guidelines land use planning is interpreted as the systematic assessment of physical, social and economic factors in such a way as to assist land users with the selection of land use options that increase their productivity, are sustainable and meet the needs of society. Given these comprehensive ambitions, land use planning is an extremely complex subject. The guidelines describe the nature and purpose of land use planning: what it is, why it is needed, who benefits from it, at what scales is planning carried out, by which people. They outline a 10-step logical sequence of activities, from the first meeting between planners and potential users to the implementation of the land use plan. The guidelines also include some of the technical methods available (at the time) for planning, some of which may require additions and updating. The guidelines are primarily intended for people engaged in preparing land use plans as well as administrators and decision-makers in developing countries. The key messages of the guidelines are: (i) good land use planning is fundamentally a learning process, (ii) it can best be learned by doing, (iii)it is not top-down but should involve the active participation of all land users, (iv) each planning situation is unique, therefore instruction manuals are unfeasible.