A century before the Golden Age of Athens, a Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said the problem of human society is to combine that degree of liberty without which law is tyranny with that degree of law without which liberty becomes license. Planning is also about a group of laws, a set of rules to guide people and governments in decision making.
             Considerable differences in detail exist between planning processes in various nations. Many nations of Europe and the Orient follow the British method. In many countries there is a strong national input in planning. In the United States, variation is subject only to constitutional limitations. In general however, planning can be divided into two major categories, that of the private sector and government regulatory agencies. The right of the government to regulate the private sector is under constant challenge by those who feel that ownership of land includes the right to do with it what one wishes, provided the rights of others are not violated. As cities have grown in size and complexity and land has changed hands frequently, however, regulation is often needed. Some sense of order has to be established and accepted.
             Planning takes place at all levels of government. Local communities, cities and counties enact laws and ordinances which, under state laws or local charters, define the areas of planning that they are constitutionally allowed to carry out. In some instances, federal laws require specific planning to be done if a given community seeks financial assistance through one of the many programs under Federal control. In passing the laws and ordinances dealing with local planning, the cities and counties are supposed to prepare comprehensive plans, for land use, circulation, health, housing, energy, safety, education, recreation, conservation and the other elements that relate to the social, economic and physical structure of the community. The legislative bodies in most cases create p...