Comparative-Critical review of the basis and process of preparing Comprehensive Plan; Strategic Plan and Structural-Strategic Plan

Lack of detailed study of the essence of comprehensive and structural-strategic plans and lack of nobility on the extent of their capacity in the optimal organization of the country's cities and also lack of careful attention to desirable plans such as strategic, is one of the problems that has created obstacles in the way of achieving sustainable urban development. The present article tries to use the analytical-comparative method to explain the basis and process of preparing comprehensive, strategic, and structural-strategic plans, compare these three plans and identify their positive and negative features.

The present article is basic-applied and developmental research and has considered descriptive and comparative-analytical methods to achieve its goals.

Comprehensive Plan: According to some experts, comprehensive planning is a process to determine the goals and aspirations of society in terms of community development. The plan is a comprehensive program of public policies on transportation, urban facilities, land utilization, population issues, and expansion limits. Comprehensive plans typically cover large geographical areas, specifically cities, and a wide range of topics, covering a long-term horizon. According to Article 1 Section 2 of the Law on Change of Name of the Ministry of Housing (approved on 1974/7/7) in Iran, the comprehensive plan is a long-term plan in which the land use and zoning related to residential, industrial, commercial, administrative, agricultural, and urban equipment, and the general needs of the city, general lines of communication, and the location of centers, including terminals, airports, ports, and the level for the establishment of facilities, equipment, and public facilities in the areas of modernization, improvement, and priorities related to them and the rules and regulations related to all the above, and the preservation of buildings and historical views and natural landscapes have been specified. The city’s comprehensive plan can be revised as necessary" (Ahsan, 2003, Volume 1: 58). The comprehensive plan for urban planning and design standards, developed by the American Urban Planning Association, defines as an official statement made by the authority of the local government for future development and protection. This plan sets out the goals and analyzes the current situation and trends, identifies the vision of the physical, social, and economic characteristics of the society in the coming years, and summarizes the policies and guidelines for implementing that vision" (Planning Standards, 2006: 18).  A detailed plan is prepared to follow a comprehensive plan based on the general criteria of it. This plan specifies the uses of urban lands in different neighborhoods of the city and the exact area of land, the detailed status of the transit network, the population density of a building in urban units, and priorities related to improvement and modernization areas and solving urban problems. In the detailed plan, thelocation of all different urban factors is determined, and the plans and specifications related to ownership are prepared and arranged based on registered documents” (Ahsan, 2003, Volume 1: 88 and 89), and also the general lines of the comprehensive plan converted into precise executable plans. Strategic Plan: This plan has characteristics such as flexibility, paying close attention to participation in this plan, the difference in goals, and the description of different services based on the characteristics of each location that provide a clear definition of this plan, and make it difficult. A plan that is not confined to the framework of dry and unchangeable principles is prepared and defined under the arisen problems. Despite the difficulty of defining it, the strategic plan is a plan in which critical and sensitive issues are weighed, investment priorities are identified for infrastructure, and areas of the city that need prompt attention and immediate implementation of programs are specifically studied in this type of plan. Therefore, the current and future city development and housing quality reconstruction and improvement are considered in the old areas of the city in this plan. Roberts believes that strategic planning and action go hand in hand. This type of planning does not require comprehensive information, and it can meet the city’s needs with total flexibility and effectively model urban land use (Pourmohammadi, 2003: 125). Strategic planning is used to deal with the future correctly and solve current problems and complexities (Obeng and Ugboro, 2008: p420). Strategic planning, specifically an open and participatory creative process is the basis for linking related activities to all urban stakeholders for a specific period, which focuses on critical issues, creates an integrated strategy for the city, shapes flexibility in decision-making, is pragmatically based on a new culture of urban management. Strategic planning is a systematic effort to produce the fundamental decisions and activities to shape an organization and its goals. This process requires extensive effort and, at the same time, effective data collection, development, and search for strategic alternatives, with an emphasis on future inference. Strategic-Structural Plan: The proposal to prepare a so-called structural-strategic plan for cities dates back to the mid-1990s. One of the foundations of this plan is the structural plan that was invented in England, and it is almost obsolete today. In fact, this plan - although not very faithful - was a structural plan that was combined with an incomplete understanding of the strategic plan, and the structural-strategic plan was born. Briefly, the structural-strategic plan is an attempt to prepare the physical base of the city to modify the current structure and accept future developments in the physical structure of the city during a certain period of time, by recognizing the major trends of each of the important vital aspects of the city as a whole with structure. Internal factors, elements, and relationships that are interconnected with environmental conditions. The title of structure in this pattern indicates that this type of planning deals with the city as an integral and transformable whole. As a result, first the economic, social, and physical development structures of the city should be compiled for the future and they should be matched in a structural whole. The strategic term shows that such planning is aimed at guiding and monitoring the overall system of the city through intervention in the structure and performance, and strategies for the realization of the desired structure should be provided.

The comprehensive plan is a body-centered plan that is in an effort to predict the future based on the past and a top-down evangelist and has a completely linear preparation process in which the category of evaluation is almost neglected. But the strategic plan, unlike the comprehensive plan, is a flexible plan with a comprehensive view with a completely cyclical preparation process in which the category of evaluation is one of its inseparable pillars. Structural-strategic plan, although claims to be new, is a combined plan and in other words, a mixture of three comprehensive, strategic, and structural plans. The preparation process starts with the current situation and continues with the preparation of a section called the strategic plan (which is completely separate from the whole plan) and ends with structural planning (with the most impact from the UK structural plan).  A This plan claimsto have a cyclical process, while the category of evaluation is presented in a general way and far from feasibility.

By continuing to prepare the comprehensive plan in its current or revised form, or encouraging the preparation of so-called new plans (structural-strategic plans) which in practice are nothing more than the previous traditional plans, we are not able to solve the chronic problems of the country's cities. It is necessary to prepare and implement more suitable and open plans, especially the strategic plan (after the fulfillment of preconditions).