The Local Area Plan (LAP) is a plan, which is prepared for existing smaller area of a functional city/town and is a brown-field development. However, the Town Planning Scheme is prepared for extension/new area abutting the existing city/town and is a green-field development. The Local Area Plan (LAP) focuses on area improvements and also on making the basic services easily accessible. These plans are formulated within the proposed framework of the Development Plan, the statutory /legal plan. Through these plans deficits of infrastructure - transport infrastructure, basic services and social amenities can be identified; mobility and activities of all socio-economic groups, gender and age can be planned; proposals catering to the demand are prepared and integrated into the ward-level plans, which have allocated municipal budget.
The LAP can also notify the conflicting land uses. These plans should be linked with the municipal budget, which would make the plans more realistic and easier to implement. Inputs from the Local Area Plan (LAP) should be used, while formulation of Development Plan or during its midterm review that will enable integration of the top-down planning and bottom-up efforts of compiling the aspirations of the local community. Barring few exceptions, bottom-up planning is not happening. The LAPs will be effective, if these are not integrated with the institutional and financing mechanism. Sequence of activities followed while preparing the Local Area Plan (LAP) for Delhi by Municipal Corporation of Delhi are shown in following Figure.
