Decentralized planning processes

Abstract

In this chapter, we consider the essentials and the complexities of building decentralised planning systems. We will discuss critical issues such as the importance and the mechanisms for ensuring full community engagement. We will outline the importance of integrating planning systems across the different sectors and the difficulty of achieving decentralization within a single sector. We will present some practical tools, as well as considering overall structures. Throughout, although this aspect will not be explicitly addressed in this chapter, it will be clear that decentralization is an essentially political process, reflecting prevailing ideological perspectives on the appropriate distribution of power. In a subsequent chapter we will discuss the implications for information systems and the role of qualitative and quantitative measurement within health sectors.