PLAN AFTER MASTER PLAN…

Many master plans and other major documents have been prepared over the course of 30 years to devise considered growth of Kathmandu Valley. While there have been numerous sectoral plans, aimed at everything from cultural preservation to water supply, five plans have dealt with holistic development of the Valley. One thing in common with the first four plans was that none were implemented. The latest "ADB Plan" was presented to the Government in September 1991.

The concept of town planning in Nepal appears to have begun in 1962, with the establishment of a Town Planning Office in Kathmandu. As the basic information and data needed for planning, including base maps, were not available, the Government took the help of United Nations town planning expert P.O. Lefvert, a Swede, who prepared a map of the Valley towns based on aerial photographs taken by Toni Hagen, the Swiss geologist.

 1963 – Kathmandu Valley Physical Development Plan: This plan had the "controlled and harmonious development" of the Valley as its goal. It analysed the existing land-use and proposed new patterns, which in retrospect are not supported by data. This was a pilot project meant to guide planners in subsequent exercises.

 1969 – Physical Development Plan for the Kathmandu Valley: This was the first comprehensive plan for the Valley, and it introduced the concept of regional physical planning. Certain land-use patterns were proposed, as was the development of the "Kathmandu-Patan Urban Complex". Also suggested was the development of selected compact settlements, such as Katunje, Lubhu, Thecho, Sunakothi, Kirtipur and Thimi. A Valley transportation network was recommended.

1976 – Kathmandu Valley Town Development Plan: This plan was based on the 1969 plan and concentrated its efforts on developing zoning laws based on accurate mapping of zone boundaries. A major objective was to regulate building along the major roads. The Town Planning Implementation Committee attempted to strictly enforce the recommendation of the plan, with limited results.

1984 – Nepal Urban Development Assessment: Funded by USAID and commonly known as the Padco Report (after the consultancy firm that prepared it), this Assessment was not strictly speaking a "plan". Instead it was a report which analysed various factors associated with rapid urban expansion. It presented a general national overview of the urban sector till 1984 and offered broad recommendations.

1991 – Kathmandu Valley Urban Development Plans & Programmes Study: Funded by the

ADB and prepared by Halerow Fox Associates, a British firm with extensive experience in Bangladesh, this is the first plan to be presented in the post-Panchayat period. The plan provides a summary and synthesis of the large volume of information already available on Kathmandu Valley. One feature of this plan is the proposed development of a "Bishnumati Corridor" along the western edge of Kathmandu town.