Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Fiji and Tonga

I have always wondered what planning systems were in place for the Pacific Islands. The lecture today was very interesting... it is staggering that there are only 3 planners in all of Fiji! Planning must be an increadibly stressful task for those planners and a difficult job to deliver quality urban planning. I wonder how Fiji is coping with the tourism industry and the conflict with the native ownership of the islands where resorts are established. This would be interesting to explore more...

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Chinese Planning

I thought that Kai's lecture on Chinese planning was thoroughly interesting and has sparked a bit of an interest in travelling through China to see what it's all about on the ground. The concept of the Danweis was particularly interesting... a sustainable form of development which NZ should perhaps be thinking of on a smaller scale. The Danweis related to my first assignment on gated communities which discussed the social segregation that gated communities cause in developing countries. I wonder if this would be the case in China? Something to ponder....