JOURNALISM IN PLANNING

 “More the news and updates about the city planning, the more you will be updated and fall in love with the city” 

Journalism is activity or profession of writing for newspaper, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast. Through journalism we can share ideas, news update, debates, discussions either through electronic media (Television/apps) or print media (Newspaper/Magazine) in form of articles, magazines etc. We read and see so many news update in Journalism on politics, business, sports, education, accidents and so on but, have we ever came across any Journalism on City Planning and the questions may be arising in citizens that How the city is growing?, What rules and development control regulations, policies, schemes are adopted in the city by the administration and the planners?, Why the projects are planned in the city for social, economical and for environmental purposes?, Who are responsible for city planning?, Where are the planning courses (UG/PG/PhD) offered, vacancy for the jobs in the development authorities and organisations across the country that may be public or private?, When and by which organisations offer the internships programmes for research works, to work on live projects and also conducting conferences for inviting research papers so that students/professionals can actively participate? and thus, addressing the need and importance of journalism in planning across the country.

The planning is done for the people for providing basic infrastructure required and to cater existing as well the future requirement by effective and efficient use of resources available in order to achieve sustainable development and control the Urban development by adopting the rules and development control regulations, schemes and policies by administration and planners in order to shape and give proper direction to the growth of the cities and increase the standard of living. In Journalism we see different sections for the different subjects like politics, business, education, sports articles and so on, taking into consideration there is need to create the separate section for the planning where we can write articles on schemes, policies, rules and development control regulations adopted in the city planning for the daily news update. The recently launched scheme Geo-spatial Data Liberalisation by the Government of India on 16th May 2020 to give access to highly accurate and qualitative geo sensitive data and greater flexibility in terms of allocation of resources in Social Infrastructure planning but, the many of citizens are not aware of this scheme and this information need to reach many citizens in order to access the benefits of this scheme and journalism is one way by which this information can be reach out to citizens of the India by giving articles in the newspaper, magazines, news websites and the news app and realizing the importance of Journalism in City Planning. Also many planning projects are carried out in cities like Town planning schemes, Development plans, Zonal plans, Local area plans by the administration and planners in order to fulfil Social, Economic and Environmental factors by  providing the basis infrastructure required, and accommodate the increasing population, and many of the citizens are not aware of such projects so there is need to spread this information through newspaper, magazines and news websites for the daily updates in the city planning.  

By 2031 the India needs 3 Lakh Town Planners to plan the Indian cities and presently there are 5000 qualified town planners across the country. Many of the citizens are not aware of the colleges offering the Planning courses (UG/PG/PhD) as compared to engineering and medical Colleges are known by everyone. Through journalism like articles in the newspapers this information can be reached to maximum citizens and help citizens to enrol in planning courses and the goal of the government requiring the 3 lakh planners can be achieved requiring to plan Indian cities and respective organisation offering the planning courses need to advertise this information in the newspapers or on news website too. There are many mis understandings that there are no jobs for planning in the future but according the way the India is adopting new policies and schemes and introducing the Public Private Partnerships in large and small scale planning projects in the industries and encouraging the private developers to take and invest in such projects. Due to which more Planners are required for such projects related to planning and creating vacancy for the planners across the country. But the thing is that there is no proper advertisement for vacancy in post of planner and many of the graduate planners are not aware of vacancy in the post, there is need to advertise such vacancy through articles in newspaper and or on news websites by organisations and development authorities that may be public or private across the country so that planner can get proper information and can enroll for such opportunities and gain the experience and through this the goal of 3 lakh planner required can be accomplished in the country.  Many organisations and development authorities offer internships related to work on live projects and research work in planning and also conduct the competitions for inviting research papers, articles, designing competitions and so on, through journalism there is need to advertise this information through attractive posters or articles in the newspaper so that young planners can actively participate and showcase there skills and gain the experience by seeking the opportunities across the country as because many students are not aware of such opportunities. 

There is need of introducing the journalism as a subject in planning course by AICTE in order to inculcate the skills in planners of writing in the newspaper regarding city planning because the planners are familiar with  projects, innovations, emerging trends, new facts in planning and also can express their new ideas, suggestions, work of the famous planners in form of the articles related to planning in a better way and would be helpful to reach to maximum number of citizens across the country. The newspapers editorials need also to introduce the section for city planning separately in order to keep citizens updated more about their cities in respective languages at all levels like District level, State level and the National level. There is need to introduce magazines in planning journalism in which all the projects, policies, schemes, plans, emerging trends, facts, work of the famous planners and new reforms in one year across the country need to be published which would be helpful for planning students, citizens, academicians, professionals and experts to know what happened in past one year related to planning and keep themselves updated. Student/, Professionals, Academicians, Researchers can also start blogging by writing articles expressing there insights, ideas, suggestions, facts on town planning.

In short, introducing the journalism in planning will definitely help citizens, planning students and professionals know about their city, policies, schemes, rules and development control regulations adopted by administration and planners. The purpose of projects planned in the city for social, economic and environmental factors, institution offering planning courses, vacancy for the jobs, internship programmes, conferences for inviting research papers information can be reached to citizens, planning students and professional through introducing journalism in planning. Introduction to Journalism subject would help planners to express new ideas, new suggestions, emerging trends, new facts, new reforms and work of the famous planners in form of the articles in newspaper and news websites.

Together We Will Grow, Together We Will Build