Sectorial planning is a strategic approach that focuses planning on specific sectors of an economy or community. It involves defining key sectors, assessing the current state and desired outcomes of each sector, and developing strategies and budgets to achieve sector goals. The private sector, local groups, and other stakeholders are involved to promote coordination, efficient resource use, and sustainable development. While this approach allows for more detailed sector-level planning, it may face challenges involving public participation and economic assessment in complex cities.

1. Sectorial Planning Approach
School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal
Omkar Parishwad
Evolution:
How do cities evolve?
Who should plan the cities?
Do the location, culture, climate and other factors play a crucial role in planning of a city?
Why study foreign policies than discover and invent our own strategies?
Introduction:
Sectorial Planning is strategic planning for defined sectors or industries of the economy.
‘Sector’ in terms of ‘sectorial planning’ means the spatial planning under consideration of
only one planning criteria (e.g. traffic, environmental heritage, etc.). Sectoral planning
process includes the following
significant characteristics:
 Presents the detailed sectorial
development objectives, policies Education Health Social
and strategies that are only
summarized in the SES.
 Provides the supporting Infrastructure Electricity Transport
documentation needed for
explaining and justifying the
departmental budget. Agricul
Tourism ture Economical
 Gives the private sector a
systematic process for
participating in planning and Figure 1: Sectors for planning
Health, Education, Social services…
policy making at the sectorial Construction, Electricity, Transport, Water...
level. Agriculture, Commerce, Finance, Tourism.
 Promotes a more efficient and
equitable use of resources as a result of coordination and support of the private sector.
 Facilitates sustainable development through linking budget to plan implementation, and
by generating sense of ownership on the part of local staff that are responsible for
preparing the plan.
 Sectorial approaches are (in the ideal case) weighted and combined in the context of
comprehensive development planning. Through a collaborative process, various and
diverse stakeholders accomplish this task.
 Sector planning focuses on a manageable area and considers the land use, transportation,
environmental, and infrastructure needs unique to that portion of the community.

2. Omkar Parishwad 2010MURP007
 The generalities of comprehensive planning and the pitfalls of single issue or narrow
scope planning are avoided. Approving the sector plan minimizes the inconsistencies
resulting from parcel-by-parcel decisions.
Process:
The formulation of a sectorial plan involves the same logical process as for any strategic
development plan, including the SES. This logical process can be summed up by the Department
asking six fundamental questions which will have to be answered in the course of preparing the
sectorial plan.
It may be useful to think of each question as a scenario.
 The first scenario is intended to get the Department to systematically review its operating
experience within the sector, and to explicitly document what it has found in the form of the
sectorial performance assessment.
1. Where have we been and where are we now?
2. Where do we want to go from here?
3. How are we going to get there?
4. What resources will be required to enable us to get there?
5. How will we know when we have arrived?
6. What problems are we likely to face on the way, and do we have a contingency plan to
deal with them?
 The second scenario represents the core of the planning process, and is calculated to produce
a clear identification of outcomes,
objectives or end states that the
Department and stakeholders want
to achieve.
 The third scenario essentially
requires the Department and
stakeholders to specify the
strategies that will be followed to
achieve the outcomes or
objectives set in the second
scenario. This scenario must
consider development
opportunities and constraints, as
well as the macroeconomic and
sector specific policy
environment.
 In the fourth scenario required resources are addressed. Resources must be broadly
considered, including, in addition to financial and personnel resources stipulated in the
budget, political support and macroeconomic environment.
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 The fifth scenario calls for success criteria. Success criteria must be specified in terms of
performance measures that will enable the Department to objectively determine how much
progress has been made toward targeted departmental and sectoral objectives or outcomes.
 The last (sixth) scenario requires policy makers to anticipate likely problems (issues and
constraints) and to formulate a contingency plan to deal with them. Essentially contingency
plans will be incorporated in the policies and strategies supporting each of the Department’s
budget outputs (output structure).
The national planning system incorporates four major components:
Performance budgeting
National strategic planning (SES)
Sectorial planning
Project planning
Purpose:
Departmental Budget Support
 Budgetary resources enable the Department to produce and deliver the goods and services
(outputs) that directly contribute to achieving the predetermined outcomes (objectives)
specified in the sectorial plan.
Enables Systematic Participation of the Private Sector
 The sense of ownership generated in this process should result in obtaining endorsement of
the sectorial plan, along with support in its implementation.
Promotes More Efficient Use of Resources
 Formulating the sectorial plan with systematic input from stakeholders can be expected to
result in a more efficient use of resources through better co-ordination and support from the
private sector in working toward jointly set objectives, and through more rigorous analysis of
appropriate strategies and policies for achieving the objectives.
Facilitates Sustainable Development
 Both continuing budgetary supports, and stakeholder involvement in the planning process,
constitute critical elements toward promoting sustainable development.
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4. Omkar Parishwad 2010MURP007
Content:
Case Study:
The United Nations 1990 International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic
Activities (ISIC) is used as a point of reference to define sectors for the purposes of sectorial
planning in Samoa.
These sectors can be grouped under the three broad sectorial headings used in PSIP, as follows,
with the corresponding national accounts categories shown in brackets.
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5. Omkar Parishwad 2010MURP007
Economic Sectors: Social Sectors: Infrastructure Sectors:
•• Agriculture (agriculture, •• Education (component of •• Construction (construction)
fisheries and forestry) public administration, and •• Electricity (electricity and
•• Manufacturing (food & including two sub-sectors of water)
beverages manufacturing and •Primary and Secondary and •• Water (electricity and
other manufacturing) Post-secondary) water)
•• Tourism (hotels and •• Health (component of •• Transport (transport and
restaurants, wholesale and public administration) communications)
retail trade, and transport) •• Welfare and Social Services •• Communications (transport
•• Commerce (wholesale and (component of public and communications)
retail trade and personal and administration)
other services)
•• Finance (financial and
business services)
•• Public Administration
(public administration)
Table 1: Sectoral approach division.
PRIVATE SECTOR
non-government organizations,
churches, other government agencies,
and individuals are a potential source
of knowledge and ideas that are
essential to identifying issues and
opportunities, clarifying objectives,
preparing policies and strategies, and
identifying possible projects
PARTICIPATORY APPROACH
of Sector Plan formulation increases
ownership and acceptance of the
Plan, and thus increases its chances of
effective implementation since, to
Figure 1: Samoa Planning Department Map. varying degrees, implementation
relies on the actions of the private
sector, churches, non-government
organizations, other government
agencies and individuals
Adaptability:
The major problem about using this planning strategy in Indian cities is the Economic assessment
and the Public awareness.
People can never be estimated to be sighted about the matters of future development in favour of
the city.
Also the Economic base of our country is in a very preliminary stage. To estimate it to such
lengths is a very difficult task.
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Also the implementation tasks that should take place in incremental sense would take a lot of
management and synchronizing from all the sectors of the society.
The positive side of the coin is also very impelling, though that stage would arrive late.
Merits & Demerits:
As the purpose states, the merits are
 Sustainable growth due to involvement of the local bodies and private sector.
 Better management of the resources and facilities as planners are the managing link
between the two.
 Economic stability as it is priory estimated for the development.
The Demerits being;
 Poor standards of the locals in terms of progress. So over-estimation and costly affairs in
terms of progress.
 Political interference as the law is not interfering directly.
Conclusions:
 City planning takes place smoothly as the Economic Strategy is well balanced beforehand.
 As locals get involved in the planning perspectives, better solutions are developed and
implemented.
 Citizens orient buildings, plant trees and return stores to a depressed area. So the sense of
ownership is generated which results in swifter progress of the city.
 Criminal activity is reduced through improved lighting and reduced blight. Schools are more
community friendly through integration into the neighbourhood.
 As the planning authority remains with the planner, the progress is controlled.
References:
 Davis, Derrin and Stephen Pollard, , Economic Management and the Role of Planning, East
West Centre, Development Series, No. 6, March 1995.
 United Nations, International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities,
Third Revision, 1990.
 Samoa, Government of, Treasury Department, Manual on Project Planning and
Programming, September 1998.
 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Report of Mission on Economic Planning
in the Pacific Island Countries, 1991.
 Workshop on sectorial planning:
www.unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CARICAD/UNPAN...
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