John Glasson, one of the authors of the book Urban Planning, is Professor of Environmental Planning and Co-Director of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD) at Oxford Brookes University. He is also Visiting Professor at Curtin University in Western Australia. His research includes regional planning, impact assessment and sustainable development.

His definition of Planning is that Planning is a sequence of actions which are designed to solve problems in the future. That means a certain number of goal or goals in which a series of solutions or systems are to be designed in order to achieve it. Time horizon of the future varies according to the type and level of planning. This somehow correlates with what the other authors have stated on the definition of planning.

It is not only the concept of a future long-term plan but also basing the plan on the current situation and problems of the city or community. For Glasson, the planning problems tend to be of social and economic nature. This is mostly true with developing countries. The problems and issues that arise along with the development of the city in which mostly involved are the people, the workforce and the community. Each of these should be conducted an assessment to be able to detail and gauge the real situation and on what is really going on.

The next step then is to align the planning principles to the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with relation to the social and economic institutions, even on for example, just the focus on eliminating poverty by creating more job opportunities for the residents.

One local example is the proposed rehabilitation of the Averalo Children’s Playground Re-landscaping Project, in which a consultative meeting with concerned barangay captains, Sta Filomena Day Care Center, and personnel from CSWDO & CEO will be conducted. The goal is not only to renovate and beautify the place but also to promote it as a location for the community’s social interaction with children accompanied by adults. This in turn, could also be the opportunity of small businesses to sell street foods and other goodies in an allocated portion of the park or along its border. That is an additional income source for both the people and the Barangay.

To conclude, Glasson promotes the principle of sustainable approach to development via people and community-focus and a more cohesive society.