Asian planning for millennium development

Plnr. K.D. Fernando

COLOMBO: The Ninth International Congress of the Asian Planning Schools Association (APSA) being hosted in Colombo from August 27,29 augurs well for Sri Lanka.

We can showcase our own contribution to the planning discipline, and invite critical appraisal of same. The latter is opportune at this time when Asia as a region is at the crossroads of a massive transformation in its economy and of its commitment to overcome poverty, hunger and socio-economic disparities. Sri Lanka being a founder member and host of the Congress, can envisage a lively interaction to further advance education and research in the planning discipline.

APSA is a non-profit and non-political association that aims at providing opportunities for scholars and planners to discuss issues related to planning, to exchange opinions and understand problems of planning in Asian countries, and to foster new generations of academics and professional planners in Asia.

The congress theme 'towards an Asian approach to Planning for Millennium Development' is appropriate at this juncture, where Asia is emerging as the world economic power. The Department of Town and Country Planning of the University of Moratuwa, which has organized this international congress will facilitate above in an exemplary manner.

The gathering of planning scholars into a common forum in Colombo is a healthy sign to have join effort to address the issues pertaining to Asia and its development in the 21st century and to share views and findings at the deliberations of this congress. This congress will make the phase setting to take a turn in Asian Planning Education to be deemed fit to face challenges of our common future.

Asian societies, deviating from conventional ones. The development of such alternatives necessitates an intellectual discourse on problems, prospects, lessons, possible scenarios and future directions of planning in Asia, in the context of global affairs related to planning. This congress will be a venue to initiate such discourse in planning at a time that global attention is drawn towards Millennium Development Goals.

It could successfully undertake this formidable task of bringing Asian Planning Schools and the interest groups together to set phase for an Asian approach to planning in order to facilitate the millennium development.

This is a great opportunity for all those who are interested in planning and development in Asia to build awareness on current affairs around the globe and share their views with an international audience. At the same time, we hope the congress is of great support to advance planning education in Asia in many ways.

The University of Moratuwa is the country's exclusive provider of planning education. Its Department of Town and Country Planning established in 1973, has had a four-decade long and unbroken period to date in the conduct of courses in planning. In 2003, the University commenced the pioneering full-time four-year undergraduate course leading to the Honours Degree of B.Sc. in Town and Country Planning.

The APSA Congress being hosted in Colombo offers the forum for planning education to consolidate its approach, build fellowship between Faculty and Students, and to reinvent new models for sustainable development in this millennium.

(The writer is the Vice Chairman of the 9th ASPA Congress and the former Executive Member of ASPA).