Analyzing the Gaps in Institutional Capacity of Dhulikhel Municipality in Implementing IUDP: A Case Study

Abstract

In the realm of urban planning in Nepal, there has been paradigm shift in approaches of urban planning; Master Planning in the 1960s, Structure Planning in the 80s, Integrated Action Planning (IAP) in the 90s and lately (from mid 2010s) Integrated Urban Development Planning. Integrated Urban Development Plan (IUDP) is a long-term strategic plan that integrates multisectoral development, sets long term vision, goals and strategies for sectoral development that are driven by the lead development sector of the town. The review of previous planning approaches clearly suggests that previous planning approaches failed mainly because of lack of legal basis for implementation and weak institutional capacity of the planning in implementing the plans. Besides, the implementation aspect of IUDP is affected by the institutional, policy and legal frameworks pertaining to urban development planning in the country. The review of institutional, policy and legal framework for IUDP implementation, suggest that the preparation of IUDP is supported by prevailing international and national policies on urban development, clear roles and responsibilities of the institutions and legal basis for preparation, however the implementation of IUDP is challenging mainly in terms of (i) lack of legal basis for implementation, (ii) challenge in implementing local land use plans and assuring the compliance with upper level land use plans adhering to federal level Land Use Acts and Regulations and (iii) lack of institutional provision for monitoring and evaluation of IUDP. For this particular study, Dhulikhel Municipality was chosen. Six capacity areas were chosen based upon the review of various tools related to measuring institutional capacity of an organization: (i) human resources and organizational management, (ii) Financial and Economic Management, (iii) legal mandates and tools, (iv) planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, (v) external resources and relations, (vi) political commitment and willingness for implementation.