Regional Security

 

Although security and development complete each other, a region's security comes first in value before developing it, even when it's needed for a short residence/visit only. It's more challenging to live in an insecure place, than an undeveloped one. However, most development projects can be executed simultaneously alongside security ones, as "development is the best remedy for insecurity."

Only projects in areas with extreme/permanent risk should be postponed, until finding the best plan.

A region is insecure by different causes:

  • Political instability: Ethnic/sectarian conflicts/discrimination, external/foreign influence. Political tension at border regions, or internal ones with a minority concentration, could've been caused by unsupervised unplanned social mobility between countries, till it grew into an ages-long problem.
  • Crimes: Lacking enough security leads to more (organized) crimes.
  • Poverty: A poor region usually neglected by the central government.
  • Nature instability: There is a sparse population who can cope with nature challenges. The government isn't doing enough scientific research or take action to change its fate.
  • Health risks: Polluted land, water, etc.

When managing a "politically insecure" region, by whatever external/internal threat, it may require more funding/privileges than other regions, which is worth it for the benefits it usually has (causing quarrelling "over").

For instance, developing remote border regions is important for many reasons:

  • national security,
  • cooperation with neighboring countries and the rest of the world,
  • becoming a travel/trade/culture intersection/hub,
  • developing remote places, those furthest from the center, new communities gradually begin to cluster along the way to these faraway areas.

A border region acting as a regional/international center can host people from many nationalities, for short or long terms, provided its identity and the sovereignty of the country it belongs to are protected first. Otherwise, uncontrolled social mobility can gradually cause political conflicts. Even other regions within a country can suffer similar conflicts, if population types are not distributed properly according to resources.

Remote regions deserve more development, by positive discrimination: receiving extra benefits until they are equal with others. They can be brought to the spotlight and have the priority of state's projects in many ways:

  • having their own media, the focus of state media,
  • available transport (cars, buses, train, airplane),
  • unique attractions (geographical, historical, cultural),
  • receiving tourists from neighboring countries (if safe, who may be just traveling by car from their country), etc.

Gates, crossings and borders between provinces should be "secure yet flexible" for movement. There should be enough border control and checkpoints (permanent/changing), army barracks, ambushes, etc. Urbanization should be at least few kilometers from borders with other countries for safety, by keeping a buffer zone mostly left for the army. Even a smaller buffer zone between other regions within a country helps checking/controlling crimes, diseases, statistics, etc. Using technology for monitoring borders between regions is very useful, by satellite images, internet/radio communication, alongside air and land patrolling: helicopters, police vehicles, etc.

A mobile lifestyle best suits temporary residence in a new/unknown/insecure region, for exploratory or "cautionary" purposes, where escaping and moving options should be as much as those of settling. This requires more independence from traditional network and infrastructure.

  • Proper heavy-duty vehicles, with sufficient stored fuel or available energy sources, e.g. solar energy.
  • Mobile houses/well-equipped tents. Rented/shared/cheap houses.
  • Field hospitals.
  • Well-paid shift-taking doctors, teachers, officers, etc.
  • Portable/recyclable devices.
  • Satellite and wireless communication.
  • Self-generated energy/water, septic tank, etc.
  • More air travel.
  • Using the power of people by giving more incentives/advantages to more settlers.

When we give extra privileges to a region, its neighboring provinces are gradually privileged too:

  • Getting some of its attention/limelight.
  • Infrastructure:
    • roads (highway, railroad, airway ... en route/close to it),
    • other networks (phone, power grid, drainage system, water supply, etc.).
  • The self-sufficiency tools they learn from it to replace traditional infrastructure networks by solar panel/wind turbines, wireless communication, own well, own septic tank, etc.
  • Even if they get none, people can still live there (near the lucky province) and move to and from it when the need arises.

In planning provinces, attention should be given most to the furthest point from the (usually congested) center, then to the point in mid-distance. Then the pattern goes the same with all the points in between: extreme, middle, extreme ... For examples, if A is the most privileged region, then on a line segment called ABCDEFG representing all regions en route to A, development should focus most on G, D, F, E, C, then B.

In a virtual circle-like country, whose capital lies at the center, the government should simultaneously develop the four furthest points from the center and from each other, which automatically creates main four radiuses (or two intersected diameters), and endless small axes connecting and urbanizing all points in the circle.


 

Regional Planning     |    Regional Border    |    Regional Governance    |    Regional Development

Capital City     |    A Multipolar World    |    Improving Slums

 

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