DEVELOPMENT EQUILIBRIUM AND INTEGRATION 1من اصل6

Hesham A. A. Mokhtar
Professor of National Planning and Urban Development
Development is the practical application of a plan that aims to change
reality. It has several domains that inevitably affect each other Urban
development, for instance, could never be isolated from economical
development, which in turn is inseparable from social development, and all
together have a direct impact on the environment in both form and
substance. Physical development; creating actual change in nature,
represents the spearhead that opens a path to all other development fields.
The construction of a road in a deserted location for example, allows for its
urban development as well as agriculture, mining, industry or even tourism.
This development has a direct impact on the economic and social construct
of the area. The same happens in the digging of canals, the extending of
infrastructure networks and the construction of ports and airports.
In our last article “Comprehensive National Planning, Introduction and
Concept”, we pointed out the importance of planning with a global mindset,
for everything in life is intertwined, constantly affecting and getting
affected. When development in some fields rise, they decline in others,
always with a natural tendency towards balance and equilibrium. This zero-
sum game is always present, with fields constantly gaining and losing
traction. Reality however, is far more complex than the ability to reach that
illusive moment equilibrium, development fields are infinite and external
factors are always pushing in various directions.
Accordingly, development should also be addressed within a comprehensive
and global framework, as no development can occur in isolation from the
bigger picture. However, before addressing the concept of fair
development, we have to differentiate between «growth» and
«development». The main difference is that growth always implies an
increase while development can produce a decrease.