A 21st Century National Ordinance

The national master plan for the country of Kuwait, the Fourth Kuwait Master Plan 2040, utilizes a National Ordinance that serves as the planning and development platform for the country. The ordinance is based on the Land Ordinance of 1785, Jefferson’s plan for most of the United States, however, it is restructured to address changes in context, technology and operation. In this case the Ordinance provides parallel Geographic Information Systems for both spatial implementation and data analytics. The intention is to use the Ordinance to address the difficulty in planning for the future of a complex system such as an entire country. In any large-scale planning effort, there are two parallel tracks that determine the future outcomes of development; spatial and analytical. The theory underpinning this project, in the first instance, is based on ideas outlined in the Hoover Commission’s Planning Enabling Act of 1928, and in the second instance it is predicated on current computational analytics for economic, transportation, connectivity and utilization of resources and utilities. This is set against a government stakeholder group spanning over 120 agencies that are generally non-communicative and non-collaborative. From a spatial perspective, the entire country has been organized around a GIS-based spatial grid set on a 6-kilometer square pattern. This specific dimensional pattern allows for subdivision to 1.2 x 1.2, .6 x .6, .3 x .3 and .15 x .15 kilometer cells that provide a spatial construct down to the scale of the individual block. The 150 x 150 meter cell size correlates directly to city blocks planned using the cell lines as centerlines of projected streets. The resulting block size has a perimeter that is generally in the range of +/- 480 meters, or 120 meters on each side. In parallel with the spatial projection of future development, the ordinance also organizes data across the country at various scales, allowing for the aggregation and disaggregation of data depending on the scale and type of data and analysis required. In this way, baseline information, data, and indicators can be identified and quantified to provide detailed understanding of existing conditions. For instance, population and employment distribution can be analyzed at the national level, while also providing a detailed, granular analysis of data down to the block level. This allows for tracking data such as distribution of residential and non-residential development, for example. Stemming from the baseline information, the Ordinance and the supporting analytical platforms are employed to provide projections across the country for growth across all sectors, from energy and water distribution to alignment of transit infrastructure and population densities and balance among others. The parallel spatial and analytical platforms provide a system for accurately and flexibly planning for future expansion of the country. In addition, it provides a methodology for updating projected outcomes through the tracking mechanisms, which further provides for an updatable master plan that is responsive to future conditions. Further, the planning process itself is structured around major development triggers instead of a simplistic time-based program. This allows for coordination and impact assessment across all sectors. This paper and presentation will take the audience through the theory behind the implementation of the National Ordinance and provide a series of case-studies across scales that describe the operational aspects of the Ordinance for both spatial structuring for new and existing development as well as projecting and tracking sectoral development across the country and across scales. It will also discuss the universality of this system and its application in other areas, including the United Kingdom and New York.