Local governments' urban design and planning strategies and policies

Planning practices devoted to promoting a city's sustainable identity, economy, and social equity and delivering better services differ drastically between countries with centralized vs. decentralized systems of governance and planning. The European Union studied the planning situation in Syria, resulting in a suggestion to the Syrian government to move from a centralized system of planning to a decentralized system in order to promote Syria's development practices and outcomes. To facilitate the decentralization process, the European Union recommended that the Syrian government take two steps to achieve decentralization: regional planning to be followed later with a local planning. A study of the American system of planning, which allows local government to control local development issues and effectively inform the regional and national practices, provides insight to the necessity for Syria to change its planning practices and grant the local governments with clearer and broader authorities. Las Vegas, USA, a city similar to Deir ez-Zor, Syria in population size, environmental issues, climate patterns and geography, and development challenges and risks, presents lessons on the effectiveness of a local government's development of its urban design and urban and regional planning strategies and policies to achieve the city's desirable development.