Integrated Catchment Management

Kaipara River Catchment Boundary (Source Auckland Regional Council 2009).

In Planning there are so many aspects that we need to consider that can be broadly categorised as social, economic and environmental apsects.

In the second stage of BPlan, we did an 'Environmental Planning' paper where we did an extensive project by creating our own Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) plan based on a catchment in the Auckland region.
The catchment that I carried out research with 2 other team members was the Kaipara River up by the Helensville area.

For those of you out there that doesn't know what an ICM is, it is basically ".. a research proposal and organising philosophy that links research on water as a pollutant transporting medium" (van Roon and Knight 2004, p. 272) for the purpose to "..solve interconnected water quality and ecosystem problems rather than individual discharges or individual water bodies" (van Roon and Knight 2007, p. 284).

This project was carried out in 2 stages over the course of the semester. The 1st stage was about identifying the natural characteristics of the catchment (and any human modifications) in order to give a sense of the issues that were present and to create a ICM plan for the resolution of these problems in the 2nd stage.
It sounds complicated, I know! but once you get your head around the fact that everything happening upstream affects downstream and water quality problems are interconnected, you'll gradually get the hang of things!

Here is the summary diagram that I did that links the issue identified in the catchment with all the problems it can create. Its a bit complicated so I hope your eyes can handle it!

Here is Part 1 of the catchment plan. I had to reduce the size of it by removing some photos and graphs because google docs doesn't allow me to upload the whole document. Nevertheless, all the information is there so I'll leave it to your imagination to subsidise the photos!

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AR6-FN7q5s89ZGNqbmdkdmdfNWNiMjd2eG5o&hl=en

What is Planning?

Since this is a blog about Planning where and I display some of the projects that I have completed over the past 2 years as a planning student, I thought it would be a good idea to actually explain what exactly planning is first. To this day in my 3rd year of study, I still get stuck on the question of "What is planning?" when people ask what I study. Although it is such a simple question and I really should know by now, it is difficult to pin point or explain in a simple sentence because it is such a broad subject covering so many aspects of society.
So, I decided to seek assistance from the ultimate planners at the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI), where they have answered what I still can't after 2 years.

'What is Planning? What do Planners do? and Why do we need Planners?'

What is Planning?
Good planning helps to create better communities and enrich peoples’ lives.

Planners Shape the Future.
Planning is a profession concerned with the design, function, and quality of cities, regions, towns, and natural environments. Planners explore a very wide range of aspects of the natural and built environments on issues as wide ranging as urban design, transport, housing, parks and recreation, and both urban and rural development. Planners work at national, regional, local, and even neighbourhood scales. Planners work in a variety of social contexts and manage a range of development, economic, and community challenges. Planning has become an increasingly global profession as the traditional planning challenges of population growth become intertwined with new challenges, such as climate change.

Why do we need Planners?
Since Ebenezer Howard's time, many different approaches and models toward planning have been applied. There have been many proponents for differing approaches to planning, many of which have had unintended consequences. Technology has continued to shape our cities, affect our environment, and impact our quality of life. The problems of the Industrial Revolution have continued, and new challenges have arisen as global economies and even people become increasingly interdependent.
Planners solve today's problems and prepare for tomorrow's challenges. The central focus of planning is on the use of land, one of our most valuable and limited natural resources. However, the way in which we plan and develop our cities, towns, and regions affects other important resources - oil and energy, water and air quality, and even the liveability of our neighbourhoods.

Reference: http://www.nzplanning.co.nz/WHAT-IS-PLANNING/default.asp

Phew!! Us Planners sure have our work cut out for us. Especially for those of us in Auckland with the whole Supercity debacle. Don't even want to think about it!!

Here a few words of mine that spring into mind when I ask myself:

WHAT IS PLANNING??