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S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences Regional Planning & Development. - Concept & Meaning of Region

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S.Rengasamy.

Madurai Institute of Social Sciences


Regional Planning & Development.Part I -Concept & Meaning of
Region
9
representative range of commercial and culture service and ‘nature’, or
extensive
recreational open spaces”.
On the whole, the quality of life concept includes a set of material, economic,
social andecological conditions of life, which is considered to be indispensable,
proceeding fromthe ideas common for the given society and region about what
is needed for a full andhappy life. These ideals are quite different in socialists,
advance capitalist, and formercolonial and dependent countries. The greatest
contrasts in the ideas about the necessary things
and still more important, in the real needs are found between the rich and the
poor, between those
living in advanced capitalist an in developing countries.
4. Emergence of the new concepts like ‘development from below’/
“agripolitandevelopment’ as an antidote for polarized development. this
was the outcome of thegrowing recognition of the growing discontent on
the part of sub-national socialgroups (including local and regional ones) i.e.
mass living in periphery, feelingpowerlessness and defenseless to shape
their own destiny against the ‘omnipotent’ core
Since the mid 1970s development from above is more and more often
characterized as
dogmatic, alienating, anti-human, irrational, senseless, destructive etc. To
counter
balance it, a concept of ‘development frombelow’ is put forwarded in Eric
Trist’s book ‘NewDirections of Hope: Recent Innovations,Interconnecting
Organizational,
Industrial,
Community and Personal development’
Grassroot Experience
Eric Trist presents the experience of four local“societies of innovation” found in
economicallydeprived regions of advanced capitalist countriesand striving on
the basis of local initiative tobreak away from the closed circle of a
depressivestate. These are (1) The Jamestown Area Labour-Management
Committee in the West of the NewYork State of the USA functioning since
1972;(2) The Greater Philadelphia Partnershipfunctioning
since
1978
(Southeast
ofPennsylvania, USA); (3). The
Society of Sudbury2001 (Northern Ontario, Canada); (4). TheCraigmillar
Festival
Society
(Edinburgh,
Scotland, Great Britain), functioning since 1963.
With all the difference, these organizations have
the following characteristics in common:
(a). They are set up in a critical situation when itbecomes evident that “the crisis is
chronic andrequires long-range remedies”;
(b). The problem to be met is not merely local but
is rather a microcosm of major societal problem, so, locally taken actions, if
they are
effective, “soon begin resonate widely through the social fabric” of the country.

S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences


Regional Planning & Development.Part I -Concept & Meaning of
Region
10
(c) At the same time this “meta-problem” is strictly local and to be solved,
requiresprofound and diverse knowledge and work both under current
conditions and fromthe point of view of a long-term perspective etc.
Many things become clearer if concrete examples are taken. Let us consider in
greaterdetail on of the four examples given by the author- the Craigmillar
Festival Society,which is one of the oldest (functions since 1963) original and
most effective societies ofthis kind.
Craigmillar is a small town (25,000 residents) near Edinburgh, which failed to
make useof the successes of development in the 1950s and 1960s but which
acutely felt the crisisof the 1970s. The level of unemployment among the
grown-up population is between 22and 30% there, while it is still higher among
the females. The gap between the level ofdevelopment of this town and that of
the growing centers increasingly deepens. Theactivity of the local society began
with the organization of local arts festivals, whichbegan to be held as an
antipode to international festivals in Edinburgh. The success ofthe local
festivals inspired the town residents, according to the author, it allowed
toovercome the inferiority complex, which they had developed. In the process
of theorganization of these festivals the Society itself became “an all-round
communitydevelopment organization”. In 1978 they brought forward “The
CraigmillarComprehensive Plan for Action” which covers all aspects of
community life and mustnow be negotiated with the various authorities
concerned”.
Besides the organization of festivals, the society secured the foundation of a
high schooland a community centre. An important side to the activity of the
Society is organisationof social self-service by local forces. Hospitalization of
elders in this town became lessexpensive than in other similar centers, more
children began to attend schools. Theauthor pays special attention to the activity
of the Employment Working Party organizedhere, and also expressed hope that
the society will be able “ to create more industry inCraigmillar and fill the
Industrial Park the Society has acquired”. They also makeattempts at providing
such conditions that unemployed would be able to be trainedprofessionally and
to find the application of their skill in the “Market economy”. Theactivities to
the Society in Craigmillar culminated in the securing of a grant from theregional
development fund of the common market. One can hardly build the concept of
acardinal renovation “from below”as in Craigmillar.
The experience of local societies is raised up to the highest level of
generalization and is
announced to be a panacea against many troubles.
Trist compares the main features of the modern social systems of western
society withthose, which in his opinion emerge in the process of the local
innovation societies,believing that they will “become one force which will help
push Western society towards a new paradigm”.

S.Rengasamy. Madurai Institute of Social Sciences


Regional Planning & Development.Part I -Concept & Meaning of
Region
11
The above said is summed up in a table:
Basic features
Present
Emerging
Policies
Centrally formed
Statutory bodies allocate Resources
Party politics
Passive electorate
Organizations
Technocratic bureaucracies
External controls
low q. oflife for the many
Domains
Discreet problem solving
Independent objectives
Competing interests
Individuals
Privatized
dissociated
Powerless though autonomous
An innovative periphery
Power is share with Non-statutory bodies
Community politics
Active participation
Democratized organization forms
Internal controls
High quality of life for the many
Meta-problem appreciation
Interdependent objectives
Collaborating interests
Shared values
Network conceitedness
Empowered, socially responsible
Kundrakudi Experiment in Micro Regional Plannin

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