Business, Economics and Consulting

This is my third of a series on Zoning. I singled it out as the most important implementing instrument of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) because of its popularity and the scope of its legal authority.

Due to its popularity in the local governance and administration – thanks to the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) and its predecessor agencies for doing a good job in popularizing the mechanics of zoning formulation and enforcement – people are more familiar with zoning than with the whole process of planning. Very often, local officials including many local planners, tend to mistake … Continue Reading

In my previous article, I discussed the legal basis of zoning where I specifically mentioned that zoning has more profound political than technical and procedural implications. I also categorically admonished the local Sanggunian members to realize the serious political implication of zoning, and I made that admonition to ensure that the whole exercise would become beneficial rather than detrimental to all concerned.

As I have said, zoning is a state intervention to promote common good. The “promotion of common good” is too abstract a phrase but it is intended to cover public health, safety, convenience and general welfare. It … Continue Reading

Most of us have heard about zoning as a development tool, but perhaps only very few have a clear understanding on how zoning can bring about physical growth. As a development tool, zoning ordinance – the output of zoning – is expected to put physical order to a given community, most especially the urban core.

Based on academic literatures, zoning is broadly defined as a process of dividing a city into zones and districts and prescribing the use regulations for each zone or district. The Local Government Code of 1991 as well as the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions provide bases … Continue Reading