Background

The Unified Building Law No. 119 calls for the creation of a specialized administration of urban planning and development in each governorate to reinforce decentralization. The law encourages local government units to participate in decision making and to take an active role in preparing development plans and programs in their areas, to help reduce the overall workload for the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP).

Affiliation and the Administration Managers’ Appointment
Mechanisms

The General Administrations of Planning and Urban Development (GAPUDs) are affiliated with the governorates in which they are located (Local Administration). They are also supervised by the Regional Centers for Planning and Urban Development (RCPUDs), which are subsidiaries of the General Organization of Physical Planning (GOPP) (Ministry of Housing). The directors of the GAPUDGAPUDs are appointed by the respective governor.

Functions of the GAPUDs (Articles 9, 15, 20 of Law No. 119 of 2008)

• The GAPUD is to prepare reports and submit them to the RCPUD concerning the results, needs, and priorities, of urban development at the local level. They will also prepare proposals for required projects and an accompanying implementation plan of action. This is created with the participation of the respective administrative offices, the local popular councils, the respective executive departments, and representatives of civil society and the local community, after obtaining the endorsement of the chief of city or village, in accordance with the guidelines of the strategic plans for cities and villages.
• The GAPUD is to carry out, within its administrative zone, the preparation of detailed plans in accordance with planning and building specifications related to land use and the programs and priorities of the integrated development plans as specified in the approved general strategic plan for the city or village. The GAPUD is to perform this task by commissioning experts, consultants, and specialized engineers and consultancy firms registered with the GOPP, under the supervision of the RCPUD located in the relevant governorate and in accordance with the rules and regulations determined by the executive memorandum of the said law. Article 15 notes that the GAPUD is to carry out such activities within two years of the issuance of the law’s executive memorandum and in accordance with the law regulating tenders and bids; Law No. 89 of 1998.
• The GAPUD is to draw up the temporary rules and regulations for the detailed urban plans in the absence of general plans or before the strategic plans are ratified. Such action is to be taken through a decision by the respective governor after consulting the local popular council and in coordination with the appropriate departments, and it is binding to all concerned parties.
• The GAPUD is to set temporary building regulations for existing areas for which no building regulations have been issued, especially with regard to streets set backs, the maximum height of buildings, and proper lighting, and ventilation. These regulations should alsopromote an appropriate urban and architectural style, satisfy the needs of civil defense and the fire department and comply with the requisites of national defense and environmental conditions, in accordance with thelegal stipulations forbuilding density..
• The respective governor is to issue, based on proposals by the GAPUD, a decision approving projects for land division, specifying the conditions for such projects including the commitment to provide public amenities within it, or change such projects, or other existing projects, within the urban perimeter of the city or the village, in a manner that does not violate the planning and building regulations set by the general strategic plan and the detailed plan.

The Role of the GAPUDs in Preparing Strategic and Detailed Plans.

The GAPUDs prepare the detailed plans for the strategic plans that are already prepared by the RCPUDs.