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For its own convenience, the government has made provisions several times for the regional administration. However, they were never considered as a part of the constitutional process. There is a distinct role of the State to be carried out at the regional level. A federal system will legitimize that role constitutionally. This is the most important aspect. In this context, it is necessary to use the opportunity created by the recent political development in making decentralization work more effectively.
The local government failed to penetrate deeper. It is not likely that transfer of power from the national government to the local level will help to deepen decentralization. The reasons are:
• The national government is too busy to deal with the local issues.
• There are no binding obligations for the center to give adequate attention.

For a long period, the need for regional administration has been felt. Federal system of the government will fill in the gap. It will allow the local government to deepen decentralization. The empowerment of the people at the local level means the power should be devolved to the action level. It is likely that under a federal system, power will be more easily devolved deeper to the grassroots. It should aim at bringing people nearer to governance and not distancing them from it. Things that need to be brought to the local level can be brought more easily with this system.
In the process of the ongoing transformation of the Nepali society, the following points should be addressed:
• Whether it is a federal system or a unitary system, the share of the power at the action level should not be reduced.
• Some of the works now done at the local or national level should be directed to the federal level.
• The sharing of power and responsibility among different levels of government is crucial.
• Federal structure should not cause any additionality in terms of inputs and costs.

The risk factor is whether the central government is prepared to share power with sub national governments. The trend so far has been to resist the process through bureaucratic means. Activities that the center cannot or should not do must be transferred to either the lower levels or the private sector. There are several ways that regional administration will foster decentralization. However the most important element is to make the center understand that the center simply cannot execute most of the works by itself. Once the responsibilities are devolved to lower levels, this should be strictly followed.
The regional level will also allow a careful scrutiny of development projects. The ability of the center to monitor development works at the local level is increasingly questioned. Federal government will be able to better monitor the local level works and actions.
Another advantage is related with the unwillingness of the key personnel to leave the capital. This is natural because power as well as key government functions, at present, are concentrated at the center. The federal system will reduce the attraction of the center with the dispersal of its power and functions.

During the ninteen eighties, Turner’s seminal work “Freedom to Build” has influenced housing policy of most of the Third World countries and developed the concept of social housing where use value instead of exchange value of houses is predominant. (Turner 1976) Housing is more than a finished product. It is a process that guides an activity through which people provide themselves with shelter and services. In this process, people-bound resources are mobilized in the provision of shelter. Family needs over time for space are gradually and incrementally satisfied along with changes in family size and structure as well as resources. The first thing people need is a good location with respect to job opportunities. Then they need a piece of land, where they can build their shelter with whatever materials and resources available. Then they look for amenities like water, electricity and so on. They will go on improving their shelter conditions.  

However, houses are being produced more and more as commodities meant for exchange value; and housing problems remained unsolved in many cities of developing countries even today. In addition to the use value, housing has an exchange value. As more and more land came under commercial use, most houses in highly urbanized areas began to be constructed as commodities, as something to be traded for (or to be rented). When housing is produced as a commodity, the meaning of self-help, people-bound resources, or the sense of belonging becomes less significant. This is the case of economic housing against the social housing. Real estate developers and private investors are involved in such activities. For instance, the recent developments that are taking place in Kathmandu is discouraging social housing. (Joshi 2013: p. 32) 

Housing provides the owner with valuable assets. It is the most dependable asset. As its value appreciates over time, it generates income and serves as a good insurance. It is a status symbol. In societies as ours where maximum standards are not legally enforced or the ceiling is set at a very high level, the rich accumulates wealth in the form of land and buildings inhibiting the development of social housing.  

There is a clear evidence to show Nepal’s failure to sustain housing industry and real estate business where houses are built for fetching exchange value. Governance related negligence, expectation of very high returns from housing investments leading to the exclusion of key industires, and overwhelming reliance of banks and national economy on real estate development all seem to have worked against economic housing. Are the recent earthquakes driving us towards a policy shift in favor of social housing?

An immediate observation shows that the soil condiitons of Kathamndu Valley in general limit the extent of landuse for intensive development. Another important fact to be obsered is that  the   houses built for exchange value suffered more than houses taken care by the dwellers themselves. This clearly shows that dwellers’ involvement in planning and constructing buildings makes a difference. Following Turner, dweller controlled building process should be encouraged as such buildings proved to be safer in aggregate terms. Buildings used as commodity and built for exchagne value suffered most. Institutional buildings as they lacked a sense of belonging with negligence in maintenance naturally were not better either.

Dwellers’ participation in the rebuilding process is the key to sustaining the resilience shown by our settlements. Through the housing process that people initiate, different institutions are urged to provide urban infrastructure and services; and the demand for urban goods and services is created for the business to operate and thrive. Through housing, neighborhoods and communities are formed, which eventually grow into towns, cities, and metropolises. The transformation from a tiny village to a town implies the provision of housing and infrastructure, which helps the village to grow as a thriving economy. The mode of providing housing in rapidly growing urban areas that have acute shortage of housing and services is an important factor that shapes cities. Housing process saves our cities from major economic catastrophes since the financing of urban development is expanded by bringing the people into the process. This becomes self-sustaining as people’s ability to pay for services increases. The polciy should enhance people’s access to more resource and more power.

The provision of housing and services through the formal sector, whether public or private, has failed to cater to the needs of all and the poor in particular. Moreover such an approach has an adverse impact on the development of local buidling materials and alternate technologies.Public agencies are facing many problems in the delivery of housing related services in a satisfactory way. In order to reduce the further load on the already stretched mechanisms of most of the agencies, it is necessary to pursue development in a decentralized way. People should be encouraged to participate in the process of rebuilding; and most of the resources will come through the process itself.

References:

Turner, J. and R. Fichter. 1972 “Freedom to Build”. New York: McMillian Co.
Joshi, J. 2013. “Housing and Urban Development in Nepal” Kathmandu: Lajmina Joshi.

Another big earthquake on May 12 after 18 days from the first one made us rethink again. Most of our assumptions and our knowledge-based approaches are once again challenged. The management of shared open space and their utilization for providing housing related services became more critical in the overall provision of urban services during and after the disaster. People returned to open space once again after getting back to their houses for a day or two. More buildings collapsed leading to more housing shortage.

Our recent exposure to disasters shows that we have been providing housing at standards that our society as a whole cannot afford. Instead of making the rich contribute to create built public spaces to enhance the social good, the policy worked to allow them to appropriate resources for constructing their abode creating externalities on others. Ignoring this, efforts have been made to sustain what is basically unsustainable. This became clear after the earthquakes. Yet some are still seeking ways and means to sustain what has proved to be unsustainable by distorting facts. The resources from outside did not come up as expected since there is conflict between national pride and external dependence; instead of collaborative efforts, the issue of who should provide relief to the affected cropped up in a thorny way.

Although action on housing is being highly politicized we should not forget that Nepal should take this as an opportunity to sustain what needs to be made sustainable. We should try to improve our plight through the building of our resilience. We should learn from our own experiences such as basic housing needs, integrated action planning and land pooling. We should set our goals commensurate with our resources and integrate the external help into our plan in order to allow all to help us. We should learn to cut our coat according to our cloth and prepare plans to shape housing demand that satisfies our housing needs.

There is an ever increasing gap between our earnings and expenses on housing including taxes. Access to land is rapidly decreasing. The implication of rebuilding on sustainable land management needs to be considered.  It is necessary that we should try to avail some of our needs at neighborhood or community level. In Kathmandu, the low-income wage earners do not get any opportunity to save and invest in any housing related areas. Given the complexities and confusions that we have created, we should intensify response and action to pave the way for rebuilding with less resource while meeting more of our needs. Community-driven activities directed to meeting housing needs are reported to be minimal even at this time of emergency. There is lack of common shared space as well as the political access required to carry out such activities. We should enhance social cohesion as a part of rebuilding.

It is clear that individual families will not be able to meet their housing needs themselves with limited support from the government. Nor the government will be able to meet their housing needs. Some of the needs ought to be fulfilled at the neighborhood level by providing community space; this will reduce needs at the family level. It is necessary to form a group of perspective house builders and form a cluster. Without assessing the available resources and the possible impact of the anticipated housing expenditure on our economy, particularly the supply of building materials and labour, housing programs may not work. There may be more chaos and disorder apart from inequity. We should thus try to reduce housing needs at the private family level by sharing the available common space in the production of housing related services at affordable prices. We should integrate the re-development of heritage sites with the meeting of community level housing needs.Some of the common spaces in Kathmandu are already intensely utilized, we should invest more  to improve the environment there to enhance their sustainability and meet community needs.

Two things have become self-evident. First the production and sustainable use of common space, whether built or open and whether managed by public, private or community needs to be improved. If we could develop and implement strategies for the sustainable production and utilization of “common and shared spaces” for availing housing related needs, the cost of providing services can be drastically reduced. School premise or heritage sites that could have been easily used as spaces for risk mitigation services have become a huge liability now.

The process towards convergence of interest, we could clearly see, is still ongoing. It is taking longer time since we are primarily working on political rationality. We rely on political alliance and hierarchy and strength of party leaders. We know housing is a political process and the implementation will depend on the articulation of interests of different political players. They should realize that action will suffer if they ignore the power of knowledge and if they fail to transpire technical rationality in the process of rebuilding.

The concept of housing is not confined to just a house or a building. An expensive and beautiful house does not necessarily satisfy our housing needs. The resilience of buildings against earthquake along with the level of satisfaction of housing related needs during and after the disaster really matters. No doubt we need a roof over our heads and whenever it rained, this need was greatly felt. However, after the recent earthquake, most of us might have sensed and gathered a different perspective on our need for housing. To fulfill our needs, shelter is required to primarily protect us from unpleasant climatic conditions such as rain, wind, extreme heat or cold. At the time of the earthquake, our primary concern had been whether we were safe or not; wondering what was the chance of us being rescued if we were trapped. The chance naturally depends on the availability of willing fellow human beings and their organizations to help and rescue others and an easy access to the place of accident. The house we once considered our safe abode no longer provided us a sense of security; instead it became a subject of concern.
Most of our basic survival needs are related with, if not integral parts of, housing. We need open space, on-site physical infrastructure and services such as evacuation routes, water, sanitation and health, energy for lighting and cooking and so on. In terms of their relative availability, we must have learnt after going through the unique experience of living through many earthquakes within a week that some of the challenges that we face in meeting our needs are due to our sophisticated living standards that the society as a whole cannot afford. We seem to have been using modern approaches that are not easy for us to maintain at the time of crisis. Despite hard work it took several days to replace basic infrastructure like electricity, telecommunication and water.

We also realized that there are threats due to unethical activities such as artificial scarcity of essential goods and services, black marketing, crime and theft, dissemination of false predictions of earthquake with the purpose of creating chaos and disorder. This impaired our sense of security all the more.
We could clearly see that resources required for meeting such housing needs are not well taken care of. Our common public open spaces are mostly dirty, water-logged and inhabitable. Water sources are not well maintained and clean. Streets are crammed with improper garbage disposal and access for escape is not easy. The complete destruction of Dharahara with a large number of casualties clearly showed that we grossly neglected the safety of our heritage sites. Such sites instead of providing risk mitigation services turned into areas of fear and resentment. Some wider roads were used for shelter and private cars parked on roadsides provided shelter for some. However they are primarily meant for vehicular traffic and are not used as public space or for shelter. Most spaces owned and managed by government agencies were not easily accessible. These led us to realize the lack of habitable open spaces where we can take refuge by constructing temporary shelter to sleep and to plan for carrying out relief works and providing basic needs. We realized that we should have minimized built-up space, leaving behind more open space for community use. We thus failed to plan and create built-up space for public purpose to meet our needs at the time of disaster. Common spaces whether open or built, proved to be more useful than the private ones. Community space facilitates the provision of services associated with housing.
Our experiences and learning, to my mind, drives us to the point that it will be easier to meet housing needs if the process of rebuilding is based on a holistic view of our needs. Rebuilding should mean not just to rebuild the house but the whole process of fulfilling our housing needs. Somehow we have misinterpreted our housing needs during the last few decades. We seem to have failed to realize that the primary function of housing is not wealth accumulation, property ownership or social prestige that disrupts coherence and harmony in society. The process of rebuilding implies a comprehensive approach that takes care of all the aspects of sustainable development directed to the revival of community resilience. The limited public space that we have ought to be used for rebuilding social cohesiveness. Help and relief activities in such times can be sustained only if the resources required for rebuilding can be replenished. Extensive use of otherwise available resources will create scarcity leading to price escalation. It is necessary to sustain their supply and recognize the increasing cost of production. Some goods and resources need to be rationed although this is likely to be increasingly difficult and inequitable in our case. We need to understand that scarcity of resources will lead to rise in price and if we try to control prices, supply will decline causing more inflation and scarcity. This implies that we should not leave any room for creating scarcity. We should manage for the required resources right at the beginning. If we cannot supply enough, we ought to lower our standards in order to avoid the risk of scarcity. Sustained supply of necessary goods and building materials is an important aspect; otherwise spending will just raise prices and the lack of necessary inputs will affect rebuilding. Sustainable use of scarce resources will help minimize spending and check the price level to a certain extent. Instead of grants, interest-free loans will be more effective for mobilizing families and the community in the process of rebuilding.
All with good intention should have the right and access to serve the people in distress. However the resilience of the community itself needs to be respected for coordinating the relief works. This is the best strategy for the State to choose between alternative avenues of providing basic services required at the time of disaster as well as for rebuilding after the disaster. External help should and can reach the neighborhood level and people at distress will unite themselves to live together by helping each other. Relief received from outside may not be adequate for sustaining the process of rebuilding. People, families and neighborhoods in post traumatic distress need to maintain love and compassion among themselves for their steady recuperation. Moreover, any external help would work as a connecting thread linking different communities that are trying to rebuild their resilience themselves. People who are willing to help will come forward if their help is being integrated with institution-driven assistance. This is possible when we allow neighborhoods to express what they need most. The process of rebuilding should take this into account.
Loss of human lives and other assets will be less if we lower our standards of living while meeting our real housing needs. This is not something new for us. We applied the norms set in Basic Housing Plan 1986 for the 1988 Earthquake Rehabilitation Program and it worked well. We need to appreciate this and not forget our dire realities despite our sudden exposure to globalization and modern lifestyles.

Nepal first adopted regional planning during the Fourth Plan (1970-75) and subsequent periodic plans have emphasised regional balance as an important policy guideline. However, it remains the least understood concept. The confusion is apparent even in the proposition of leading economist-planners who presume regional growth models without assessment of local resources. It is, thus, not surprising that there has been misinterpretation and distortion in translating the policy into programmes.

The initial regional strategy formulated was the integration of mountain, hill and terai economies through four selected growth axes. It visualised concentration of devleopment activities along the designated growth axes to affect interregional economic specialisation and exchange. Periodic plans maintained this policy guidleine but the secotral plans were never location specific. Thus, during the Fourth Plan (1970 -75), the major north-south roads were labelled the spine of the growth axes but no intensive complementry programmes were devised along these growth axes. During the Fifth Plan (1975-80), regional efforts were diverted to Small Area Development Programme which was focused on disjunct pocket areas. By the Sixth Plan (1980-85), development of growth axis has superseded by various integrated rural development projects.The creation of four development regions in 1972 and emphasis on balance among these east-west regions led to haphazard disaggregation of projects and programmes without any organic linkage. Regional planning was interpreted as a wholesale dispersal of projects instead of judicious aggregation.With utter lack of research and analysis at the reginal level, it is obvious that impending Seventh Plan (1985-90) will be no different from its predecssors in its regional development. Regional strategy is partiularly suited to teh Nepalese space with pronounced natural and economic diversity and there is need for a clear exposition of the basic concept. It is where the merit of the present book lies.

The author provides ideas and theories that inspired regional planning, reviews the state of spatial planning in Nepal and presents an appropriate regional strategy for devlopment. This book will be most useful to practicing planners, particularyly economist planners, and polciy makers.

June 28, 1985 Harka Gurung

ABSTRACT
The main goal of the paper is to highlight Nepal’s experience in sustainable urbanization. It will give a brief background on Nepal; and present some planning approaches that have helped to deal with the problems of urbanization to make it more sustainable. It will show how policies evolved over time that
helped to resist undesirable changes. It will briefly describe sustainable approaches in the context of Nepal. Nepal has just become a republic; and is presently undergoing a major change. It is but natural that the interest of the government and business may not be in favor of environment during the transition. The need for high economic growth is realized. However, adjustments in the context of sustaining the growth are ignored. This is also reflected by the failure of the government to manage environmental services. The increased outside influence and the people’s increasing expectations
due to changes have implications on it. In this regard, the paper will assess these and the emerging threats to the traditional approaches, which are still viable. It will work on the trade-off between
economic growth and sustainability. It will try to show how sustainable ways of urban development are facing the increasing threats. It will finally raise issues to seek to learn from the Malaysian experiences to help sustain such approaches.

Dimaklumkan bahawa Institut Alam Sekitar dan Pembangunan (LESTARI), UKM akan menganjurkan Siri Seminar LESTARI seperti berikut:
Tarikh: 2 Disember 2008 (Selasa)
Masa: 10.30 pagi
Tempat: Bilik Sumber LESTARI, UKM
Tajuk: NEPAL’S EXPERIENCE IN SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Penceramah: Dr. Jibgar Joshi, Advisor: National Planning Commission, Nepal
Sila klik untuk lihat Abstrak daripada Dr. Jibgar Joshi.
Keterangan lanjut sila hubungi Tel: 03-89214149/4158.
Semua yang berminat dijemput hadir.
(ewarga/bul/bil.21112008-87)

Summary

Regional imbalances and disparity have caused a growing concern in the process of planned development in Nepal. The objectives of planned development efforts did not limit to economic growth alone. A more equitable distribution of development benefits around different areal units became an equally urging development objective. Formerly, it used to be presumed that economic growth will be automatically associated with a more equitable distribution through the invisible hand. Time has demonstrated that regional imbalances are increasing with growth. On the other hand, distributional aspects to ensure equity and social justice by regions as well as by social classes became the topmost priority. The problems of urbanization and environmental quality also attracted attention. Moreover, how the negligence of certain regions may jeopardize the national economy and how the growing disparity may eventually threaten the national integrity became more vivid. The unique geophysical condition of the country with three inherently different ecological zones has called forth a new strategy for planning in Nepal.
Till the end of the Third Plan, the dimension of space has got little to do with the development planning with the result that development efforts did not meet with much success even when assessed from the efficiency aspect of development. During the Fourth Plan, regional planning is introduced with a purpose of decreasing disparity and ensuring integration of the national economy. The envisaged strategy is a growth pole strategy of regional development. But the strategy failed to be sufficiently comprehensive. The present study reveals that most of the efforts have been made on an ad hoc basis.
A purely sectoral and investment-oriented plan has got a very limited influence on the development process of the country. Regional planning should emerge in Nepal not as a precept to influence sectoral planning and to throw some guidelines in the national planning process but as a practice and comprehensive methodology having broad policy implications at all levels of planning. Multi-level regional planning should be adopted to attain the national objectives. In order to solve the problem of development and to attain the broad national objectives, it becomes necessary to give a pragmatic definition to regional planning. Regional planning should have implications at all levels of implementation of sectoral plans. It is possible to evolve a new approach to regional planning in the context of Nepal that will become an effective means of attaining the national objectives.
An integral part of the proposed strategy is based on a system of central places of different hierarchy. Economic location theory, central place studies, urbanization process, and spatial interaction relations become relevant in the evolution of the system of central places. In order that the growth pole theory may function well in the Nepalese context, it becomes necessary to conceive of a spatial system comprising of growth centres of different ranks. Only then one can achieve the national goals through a growth pole strategy. The location of central places of different ranks becomes a crucial issue. First, it is necessary to identify the existing central places. Then only it becomes logical to create a necessary number of central places at appropriate locations. A judiciously decided system of growth foci will ensure spatial integration. The articulation of the system of central places in a hierarchical arrangement will facilitate the diffusion of development impulses and the proliferation of growth. The benefits of economic growth will be transmitted through the central place hierarchy. A spatial order conducive to development will ultimately emerge.
The model suggested by this study envisages five different levels of central places besides the national capital, the national capital being designed as the centre of immense significance in sending out development impulses. At the lowest level in the hierarchy, there are central villages and rural towns where village infrastructure are built up and urban amenities are made available. This strategy will ensure the minimum quality of life even in the most backward areas of the country. Otherwise, it becomes difficult for lagging regions to break through the initial stages of development in spite of huge investments. Development becomes possible only through social and attitudinal changes. The other central places are growth points, growth centres and regional development centres. These centres will establish linkages in the spatial system. The level of infrastructure to be provided in these different centres will be related to the rank of the centres. With the adoption of this strategy, social transformation for regional development can be effectuated and a gradual social transformation with technology-transfer becomes possible. The problems posed by interregional migration have to be solved rather than checking migration itself. The growth pole strategy will no doubt check interregional migration to a considerable extent by providing urban amenities to the rural poor; and this is a positive measure. Decentralization of decision-making organ of the government becomes a precondition for the success of the strategy.
The extent of areas influenced by different central places differs in relation to the rank of the central places. It becomes necessary to divide the country into several areal units. The present study shows that development regions are not adequate for the purpose of planning. The concept of planning regions assumes a crucial role in the proposed strategy. While it is not denied that the integration of the economies of the three ecologically different zones should be the end product of spatial planning in Nepal, areal plans for the entire development regions are viable. The dominating characteristics of a planning region are that all the parts of the region should exhibit more or less similar problems of development so that same decisions can be taken for the entire region. Even then the significance of Development Regions is not rooted out. Development regions can be considered as closed since each of them has got all the three ecological zones. Each of the development regions has been divided into three planning regions comprising of the three ecological zones: the terai, the hill and the mountain. Formulation of regional plans for each of the planning regions is the methodology of regional planning advocated by this study. The preparation of regional plans depends on regional research; techniques of regional planning should be used. However, due to lack of data it is not possible to use them immediately. Empirical regional research should first be made to reveal regional structures of different planning regions.
In the formulation of regional plans, it is necessary to study the interregional trade relations. By creating unidirectional tariff walls, it is possible to help weaker regions to develop its economic base. The other alternative, i.e., to make huge investment is not desirable.
Although planning regions have been accepted as the most convenient areal units for regional planning in Nepal, Development region will offer itself as an adequate unit for integration. The main problem arises due to the hill – terai dichotomy. Development regions have in fact emerged because of this. When the ecological zones differ radically, integration becomes possible only through functional specialization and interdependency linkages. Integration ensures the wider participation of the people in development works through political consensus and concerted efforts. Although to specify what ought to be the interregional relations is an integral part of a prospective model, the economic base of many regions are feeble and the only relevant step available is to help weaker regions to build up their economic structures. For every region, it is necessary to ascertain certain activities that will make regional climate conducive to growth. It is a rational step to help regions develop their most productive activities. When different regions prefer the same activity most, the interest of a weaker region should be protected provided it has no alternative to build up its economy. Each planning region must build up its own economy. This is the only way that a poor and weak region can make a legitimate claim for its development. Integrated regional development program should, in fact, be based on such considerations. Such an approach while protecting the weaker regions, justifies a lion’s share of investments in more advanced regions as the benefits accrued from them will be made available even to the weaker regions. In the context of Nepal, this is the only choice that will integrate the terai region with the hill economy.
It becomes thus necessary to conceive of a national system comprising of the regional sub-systems where these sub-systems are closely interwoven thorough functional interrelations. Activity complex analysis of each region in their interregional settings will help to fix the priority of regional development efforts. For a self sustaining growth of any region, it is necessary to perceive how the region will establish strategic links with others, regional development depends upon a regions’ influence over the national system. Therefore an activity will be encouraged in a region only when its location in the region makes the region more vulnerable to interregional relationship and linkages and regional activities will be so conceived as to create highly interrelated sub-systems. Alternatively, a system where the regional interests and objectives are mutually consistent may be conceived of.
The process of development planning can be initiated from the top as well as from the bottom. But for an emerging country like Nepal, it should be done both from the top as well as from the bottom. If the first strategy is adopted by the time the efforts would be transmitted to grassroots level, everything will be dissipated. The other strategy will pose a formidable problem of assembling the smaller parts. The smaller parts when assembled together may give absurd results.
Feedback between different levels of planning is thus indispensable. Starting from the national economy, in order to double the per capita GDP within a period of two decades, different rates of growth for the four development regions considering regional equality and the national efficiency have been anticipated. The regional investments concomitant to these growth rates for different development regions have been computed for the period 1975/76 to 1994/95 using a simple econometric model. The analysis showed that equity and efficiency are conflicting goals. Eastern Development Region is the most productive region and Far-western Development Region is the least one. These investments will be allocated to the respective planning regions of each of the development regions. In doing so, the strategic activities in each of the planning regions are identified. They are given the topmost priority.
Equality will have meaning if all the regions have equal opportunity to develop and the poor like the rich are not denied the rights to the minimum necessities of life. Huge investments in the form of human capital and social services have been planned in the lagging regions.
Sectoral plans should be formulated at the level of planning regions as well. Infrastructural development should be the part and parcel of these plans. Three categories of infrastructure are identified – local infrastructure, regional infrastructure and national infrastructure. Regional plans should be prepared considering all these aspects. Such plans thus become the key instrument in the process of national integration.

With Nepal’s current Three Year Plan focusing on the environmentally friendly public buildings and green housing for the poor, urban planning is now a scheme needs to put a heavy focus on. Poor cities hold more potential and opportunities for green business as the sustainable construction and green development in general as they tend to have low energy demand.

Although there is no green building project being specifically included in the Government’s plan, there are attempts to enhance eco-friendly buildings within their urban planning through building system regulations as a whole. According to Dr. Jibgar Joshi, the President of RUPSON (Regional and Urban Planners’ Society of Nepal), various possibilities of green buildings in Nepal also exist due to its long tradition of sustainable architecture as shown by the medieval towns. He also shares more insight on the Nepal’s current urban condition through the following exclusive interview with AsiaGreenBuildings.com.

It is predicted that soon enough, non-environmental friendly urban development will be unable to thrive. With that in mind, what is the current status of the green city planning projects and policies in Nepal? What are the most recent changes?

For poorer cities with low energy use, it is relatively easier to promote the concept of green city and green building. With the consistent failure of conventional land use plans in the form of master plans, Nepal introduced integrated action planning (IAP) for towns and cities. This approach is highly popular among the municipalities. IAP generates two types of planning tools mutually integrated to address the need to promote sustainable development. The first is multi-sectoral investment plan (MSIP) that covers all the projects to satisfy the present needs of the people and the second is physical and environmental development plan (PEDP) that helps to sustain the ecological base of the city. Municipalities are required to prepare their periodic plans; and PEDP is their key building block.

Land pooling projects have helped to improve the urban environment. They provide infrastructure and service in a sustainable way. Upgrading of traditional towns like Bhaktapur is also in line with the sustainable development pathways. However, the duplicability of such concepts depends on whether they conflict with the market forces or not. For instance, the experience of Bhaktapur is not transferable to Kathmandu metropolis.

There are a number of eco-villages and healthy cities projects. The national policy has underscored the need to maintain balance in natural and cultural environment. Environment improvement programs have been implemented in several cities. The negative environmental and social impacts of uncontrolled housing and have been identified as a major challenge. The current Three Year Plan has focused on the development of safe, cost-effective and environment-friendly public buildings and housing for the poor. The goal is to mitigate the adverse effects of human activities and development works through the encouragement of the concept of green development.

Nepal has been in a transitional phase for long. One of the consequences of this has been further concentration of activities in the Kathmandu Valley. The development here is due to the concentration of the wealth as well as the stagnation in the outlying areas. Most of the activities of the political parties take place here and with this, the expenditure of the government has increased. The infrastructure and service conditions have not however met the growing demands. Failure to meet the increasing demand for infrastructure and services has led to incremental type of projects to somehow ease the crisis. This means initiatives on green development are presently lacking.

Among the urban planning projects in Nepal, are there any green building projects included? If not, how big is the probability for those kinds of projects to happen in Nepal?

There is no green building project specifically included among urban planning projects in Nepal. However, attempts are made in making any urban planning project environmentally friendly through regulating the building system as a whole. There are various possibilities of green buildings in Nepal due to its long tradition of sustainable architecture as shown by the medieval towns. These towns consume low energy; and are compact settlements with efficient use of land resources. They are cohesive as well as inclusive.

Urban planning practices in Nepal have invariably been based on sustainable approaches. Hardly had there been any conflicts of interests created through huge investments based on modern development. In fact, due to poverty and primitiveness, most unsustainable constructions were resisted persistently. It is only lately that modern constructions in the form of high-rise apartment buildings cropped up. However, these new developments are also presently facing crisis showing the relevance of the concept of green development. The neglect of environment has also made them economically infeasible.

What are the economic and social benefits of having environmentally friendly buildings both for individuals and companies?

There are many. For instance, they help to achieve not only ecological but also aesthetic harmony between the structure and its ambiance. They increase building efficiency and their use of resources, like water and energy. They also have less adverse impact on human health and the environment over the complete life cycle of the building — location, design, construction, operation. maintenance and demolition. They help to alleviate the negative impact of human activities on environment. Otherwise, curtailment of GHG emission has also become an economic necessity. Resources are becoming scarce for companies to sustain and a shift to green development is the only solution. Last but not least of all, this goes without saying, but the environment is both a means and an integral part of the social goods. Green building helps to save the environment in order to enhance the social good.
In your opinion, what are the main threats that blocks green buildings development – and green technology in general – in Nepal?

Being a very poor country, Nepal’s economic prosperity depends on the relationship with its big neighbors, India and China. Despite their spectacular economic growth, these countries are increasingly facing challenges in promoting green development and green buildings because of their rapid economic growth. This means these countries while helping Nepal in her pursuit for economic development will view Nepal as a convenient place to pass on more polluting activities and goods. This will impair the existing traditional potentials for green development in Nepal.

What’s more, Nepal is a low GHG emitter. As such, it is more concerned with adaptation to the consequences of climate change; and adaptation measures do not have to be environment-friendly. this sort of policy gap encourages a shift towards unsustainable life styles and behavioral changes and undermines the value of green development and green buildings.

Another threat is, the normal course of transformation of a primitive economy to a modern one has never been a sustainable one. With ever-increasing shortfall in urban infrastructure and services, the government is trying to cope with the emerging challenges by any means. This has become a major threat, as crisis management strategies are unlikely to be adequately sustainable.

What is the general vision of sustainable development, particularly regarding green buildings?

In my mind, green building is a powerful tool for sustaining the sustainable development pathways. Sustainable development is the development that integrates the growth, equity and environmental dimensions of development through a process of balancing these components with reference to the stage of development of a nation at a particular time through good governance. Given the poverty level, the vision of sustainable development for Nepal is economic growth and prosperity with due considerations to equity and environment so as to enhance the ability to sustain the economic growth for a longer period. One effective way of addressing this is to focus on green buildings where equity and environment are simultaneously addressed without having to lose anything as regards to economic growth.
The vision of sustainable development is to ensure sustained development through the integration and continuous balancing of the goals related to growth, equity, and environment through the promotion of good governance led by the people. Green building is an effective tool that has a potential to promote growth and equity without having to impair environment.

Abstract
The paper deals with the worsening condition of the environment in Kathmandu Valley. It gives an analysis of the transformation of the Valley; and identifies the causes in order to sustain its ecology and social system. It addresses how its identity and character have survived so far, It also looks into how the people and their culture are linked to the Valley’s economy, played a positive role in the wise use of its resources in the past. The Valley is urbanizing at a rapid pace. This has led to many environmental problems; and the needs of the increasing population could not be met. People leave their native villages and come here to get some kind of work in an informal setting. Their incomes are so small that they cannot afford most of the environmental services. This makes the environment deplorable for them to live or work. Most people in the valley had no access to adequate water and sanitation. With an increasing shortage of water, problems of solid waste management and poor road conditions have worsened the environment. The quality of life is declining due to pollution in terms of carbon emission, waste generation, noise, ugliness and dirt. This results in an increasing incidence of slums in the Valley. Hence the demand for a good local environment has increased.There is a tendency to locate modern activities in more pleasant areas.There are also differences in land values due to hedonic pricing. People get urban services in different ways. In the provision of these, the primary objective of the government is not to enhance the quality of environment as such. the paper examines why the provision of services has not improved the people’s living conditions. Despite huge investments in infrastructure, the needs of the people are not met. Nor has there been any increase in the physical assets to meet the future needs. It looks at alternative ways of providing services.It highlights the relevance of traditional ways that people used to manage their ambience.It works on how these can used to develop new areas while sustaining the ecological resources of the valley. The paper finally suggests measures for the revival of traditional ways of living and their integration to support the Valley level service networks.

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