Creating a Culture of Land Planning in The Bahamas / In 2010, the Bahamas Government sought to advance land use planning in the nation. Planning the built environment of The Bahamas needs a new approach that will honour our traditions in building communities while protecting our natural resources. Three pieces of progressive legislation were passed in 2010 to modernize Land Use Planning–The Planning and Subdivisions Act, The Forestry Act, and The Bahamas National Trust Act. Together these acts strengthen the BNT’s ability to manage national parks and update its organizational structure.
These Acts are critical for The Bahamas’ continued growth and development and reflect the government’s desire for successful and sustainable development of our islands. This symposium is intended to launch a process for developing Land Use Plans to support the Planning and Subdivisions Act. Once this first Land Use Plan is completed, it will be used as a model to create other Land Use Plans throughout the archipelago. This will create a new culture of planning in The Bahamas, and will ensure that while development is important and essential to the welfare of our people, development itself will not destroy the country’s continued need to succeed in the future.
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