River Basin Planning and Urban Development

In a metropolitan nation, the coordination of river basin planning and metropolitan planning becomes important. To achieve this coordination, planning for river basin development must be brought under a unified command and communities in metropolitan areas must find ways to reach consensus on their common objectives and on plans to achieve them. Changing social and economic circumstances are making urban areas more aware of their river resources. As political power shifts to the urban areas, a larger voice in planning the development of river basins will be gained. The increasing Federal emphasis on metropolitan planning and the creation of river basin planning agencies are two promising trends in the development of closer coordination in the planning of river basins and metropolitan areas.