Impact, Diffusion and Scaling-Up of a Comprehensive Land-Use Planning Approach in the Philippines: From Development Cooperation to National Policies

Abstract

This evaluation report investigates the impact of ten years of comprehensive
land-use planning in the Philippines. Characterized by fundamental
developmental challenges associated with scarce land resources,
environmental degradation, natural hazards and persistent poverty,
land-use planning plays a crucial role in finding answers to these pressing
challenges.
The impact evaluation assesses a technical approach to enhanced land-use
planning and capacity development from community to national level,
supporting decentralized planning, natural resource governance, and
resilience to natural hazards and climate change. The so-called SIMPLE
(Sustainable Integrated Management and Planning for Local Government
Ecosystems) approach by the Philippine-German cooperation, managed
by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ),
was implemented in two regions of the Visayas. The ambitious intervention
operated in a challenging environment with multiple stakeholders,
overlapping mandates, and imprecise legal frameworks. In cooperation
with GIZ, the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) rolled
out the related enhanced Comprehensive Land Use Planning (eCLUP)
guidelines nationwide.
Based on a mixed-methods and quasi-experimental design, the evaluation
generates relevant findings for the improvement of land-use planning and
local governance interventions, for sustainable natural resource management,
disaster risk management, and for welfare improvements of communities
and beneficiaries. It shows relevant factors for the successful implementation.
The report draws important lessons for local planning and the national
framework, and suggests solutions to the fundamental gap between
planning and plan implementation, improved innovation diffusion and
efficient processes, effective community participation, and public
accountability.