Integrated rural accessibility planning

IRAP is a fully decentralised participatory development planning process that assists local authorities and communities to identify what their restrictions to access are. IRAP also identifies prioritized investments in way that maximizes the impact to those most in need. For every sector studied, the IRAP procedure first assesses the existing assets. Information on travel time, travel cost and frequency is then gathered. Villages are then ranked according to their level of ease, or difficulty, in gaining access to Basic Minimum Needs BMN) and services. This serves to identify areas most in need of development. Through consultation with the stakeholders a prioritized investment framework is then developed. By comparing the sector plans, an integrated accessibility plan is then created. Using this multi-sector approach, investments that conflict or are complementary can be taken into account.