evolving local gov planning

8/6/2019 Evolving Local Gov Planning

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Cultural Planning Toolkit - Web Resource - www.creativecity.ca/toolkits 1

Evolving Local Government Planning Perspectives

The changing role of local governmentHistorically, provincial governments provided a list of things that local governments could do or

could not do. More recently, the trend has been to grant local governments broad powers and

more flexibility for deciding and providing services the community feels are needed and this iswhere cultural planning fits in, as evidenced by a growing local government role in the

development of arts, culture and heritage in Canada.

Local governments include cities, districts, towns, villages and regional bodies of all sizes from

the very small to the very large. Under the Canadian Constitution, local governments are

established and granted their powers (e.g., to create bylaws, budgets and undertake local

services) by provincial governments, usually through the Municipal Actor Local Government

Act.

Local government is often viewed as the level of government most accessible and closest to the

public: it is located within the local community, providing opportunities for direct communityinvolvement in its affairs; it provides many basic services that impact the health, safety and

quality of life of its residents; and it has a significant role in determining how a community will

develop and respond to changing circumstances.


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Influences on local government

Local governments are responding to a variety of forces and trends that are impacting

communities and have had a trickle down effect on community planning practices. These

trends and forces set the stage for cultural planning, and include:

An acceptance of Jane Jacobs view that rational and formulaic styles of planning, so muchin vogue post-war, were heavy-handed and ultimately harmful to the health and vitality ofcities that what was needed instead was that planning should acknowledge and facilitate

mixed land uses and diversity1

A recognition that the community should be involved in the planning process one of themost influential planning practice activities of the 1970s and 1980s was the rise in citizen

participation, with public participation built into the planning process and fundamentally

changing the role of planners, moving them out of the traditional, closed arena of

technocratic and into a more open, political/advocacy one2

A greater interest in the factors that impact the quality of life (e.g., social well-being andlong-term economic prosperity) with an emphasis on community building, capacity

building, social capital and livability held together by values such as interdependency,

tolerance and respect

Significant non-European immigration changing the face of the city and presentingchallenges for addressing diversity in all its cultural, social, spatial and political

manifestations

The application of culture and heritage as key drivers in downtown revitalization andcultural tourism strategies

An emphasis on place-based planning (uniqueness and authenticity) that promotescommunity identity, pride and a sense of belonging and provides a competitive advantage

for cities in attracting investment and new business

An interest in integration and comprehensiveness silo busting is a trend across Canadaand abroad

The devolution of responsibility from senior levels of government forcing local governmentto examine traditional ways of doing business and delivering services

The emergence of cities as economic drivers and the changing nature of local economies(the emergence and marriage of the cultural/intellectual and technological economy

focussed on creativity and innovation)

Globalization The push towards sustainability for the planet, and in particular in human settlements The cumulative effect of several decades of support for arts and cultural policies

In addition, local governments are recognized for their increasing primacy as the crucibles of

economic and social change they have perhaps the greatest potential for creative innovation

of any level.3 This manifests itself in an interest in:

Recognizing that profound cultural differences in communities often shape both thecontent of community plans and the planning process itself

Promoting the connection between a vigorous arts and cultural life and economic andcommunity health

Providing services and infrastructure using a creatively designed organization andmanagement that emphasizes flexibility, innovation, risk-taking, collaboration and

leadership


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The increased involvement by local government role in cultural planning is evident across

Canada in communities of all sizes and in a variety of ways. Local governments participate both

directlyand indirectlyin the cultural life of their community by improving the operating

conditions and environment for local artists and cultural organizations, by building and

enhancing their communitys opportunities for cultural expression and participation and by

using their cultural resources as assets to help achieve the civic goals of an economic vital and

healthy community.

While many municipalities have long histories of involvement in cultural planning, others haverecently hired their first staff person with a mandate to address cultural issues and develop

cultural policy for the community. Municipal cultural staff are located in a variety of

departmental contexts, and typically work alone or in small teams. They come to this work from

a wide variety of backgrounds. Some are specialists, while others have lengthy job descriptions

where they are responsible for any and all municipal actions regarding cultural development,

and still others have arts, culture or heritage included as one component among other

responsibilities. 4

New directions in community planningUrban/community development involves a multi-disciplinary playing-field, one of whose key

players is the planner. Just as local government has adapted and continues to adapt to changing

circumstances and new realities, so has and is the planning profession.

The inaugural meeting of the Town Planning Institute of Canada was held in 1919. Its roots

were planted firmly in the British tradition, described as the scientific and orderly disposition

of land and buildings in use and development with a view to obviating congestion and securing

economic and social efficiency, health and well-being in urban and rural communities.5 The

essence of much of planning remained regulatory, rule-bound, procedure-driven, obsessed

with order and certainty: in a word, inflexible.6

Over the years, the planning profession has faced a number of challenges:

Difficulties associated with forecasting and projecting future needs and the need to beskilled at dealing with uncertainty and change

A focus on plans and how they are made techniques, strategies and methodologies forplan-making as opposed to understanding and defining the need these efforts areintended to match

Institutional barriers (the nature of the organizations that employ planners) siloed,entrenched interests, inertia, emphasis on zoning, physical land use planning and the

efficient delivery of municipal services, culturally and politically charged The resilience of European values and cultural norms the need to recognize the multi-

cultural and fragmented nature make-up of communities and considering such socio-

economic factors as gender, race, income, ethnicity and location in their work Shifting social ideologies and values, resulting in a re-examination of solutions and

approaches

Skills required for the effective management of the planning process (e.g., negotiation andconflict resolution) have had little to do with their technical education and experience

Acquiring new technology-related skills (e.g., CAD, GIS, data base management)Today, there is a new emphasis on defining planning as managing our co-existence in shared

space7; opening up public debate about problems and opportunities for change8; and serving,

developing and maintaining civic engagement enabling and facilitating the community to

manage its built environment.9


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This change in emphasis is reflected in an understanding of communities as a living organisms

and in a number of emerging approaches to community planning. These emerging approaches

have significant implications for the future of cultural planning.

The community as a living organism ... The brain and nervous system refers to participatory processes by which a city develops

visions and plans, monitors the implementation of its plans and adjusts to changing

circumstances;

The heart is the common values and public space of a city that reflect and reinforce itsessential identity, that provide for dialogue, remembering history, celebration and

socialization;

The organs are the neighbourhoods, industrial clusters, downtown, parks and other hubs ofa city;

The circulatory system and neural networks that weave connections within a livingorganism are the transportation routes, infrastructure, waste disposal, communication

lines, water flows and green space that connect these nodes.

Source: Oberlander (2006a)

Emerging and Emergent Approaches to Community Planning

Social Planning

Social planning was part of the post-war attempt to establish social order in the wake of an

economic depression and a long war. It has grown beyond using rational processes to resolve

what were perceived as social problems and today is based more on community organizing,

knowledge construction, and communicative action.

Heritage Planning

Heritage conservation is about the management of a community's past for the future

generation, and heritage planning is the process through which to decide how best to manage

that inheritance. Heritage planning should be integrated within an overall community or

regional planning system.

Healthy Communities

Healthy communities recognize that the fundamental conditions and resources for health are

peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable ecosystem, sustainable resources, social justice

and equity, that all sectors of the community work together to achieve social, economic and

environmental well-being. One of the strategies for achieving this is through strategic

community plans, organizational development and collaborative community action.

Complete Communities

A complete community provides a range of choices in the physical and social elements ofneighbourhoods (e.g., housing, shopping, working, travel, leisure, services and social contacts

close to home). Encouraging diversity and vibrant places helps to address issues of well-being

and gives people more choices about how they want to live their lives.

New Urbanism

New urbanismpromotes the creation and restoration of diverse, walkable, compact, vibrant,mixed-use communities composed of the same components as conventional development, but

assembled in a more integrated fashion, in the form of complete communities.


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The Livable City

The Livable City is underpinned by a common set of guiding principles: accessibility, equity, and

participation. Livability refers to an urban system that contributes to the physical, social and

mental well being and personal development of all its inhabitants. It is about delightful and

desirable urban spaces that offer and reflect cultural and sacred enrichment. Key principles that

give substance to this theme are equity, dignity, accessibility, conviviality, participation and

empowerment.

Smart GrowthSmart growth principles ensure that growth is fiscally, environmentally and socially responsible

and recognizes the connections between development and quality of life. Smart growth

planning and development incorporates: mixed land uses, well-designed compact

neighbourhoods, a variety of transportation choices, diverse housing opportunities, growth in

existing communities, preservation of open spaces, natural beauty, environmentally sensitive

areas and agricultural lands; smarter and cheaper infrastructure and green buildings; fostering

a unique neighbourhood identity and nurturing engaged citizens.

The Creative City

The creative city is conventionally thought of as the home for thriving arts and cultural

activitybut successful cities must also embrace creativity in the way they deliver services,

energize their staff and manage their futures.

Sustainable communitiesAs sustainability has emerged as a core concern of the planning profession, new skills

and approaches are evolving that also havesignificant implications for the future of

cultural planning:

Integrated Planning: sustainability issues cannot be dealt with in isolation; they require multi-

pronged approaches based on an understanding of the complex and dynamic inter-

relationships between social, economic and ecological systems.

Collaboration: Partnerships and alliances the search for sustainability requires facilitating multi-

stakeholder initiatives, the participation of non-governmental and private sector

organizations, often in partnership with public sector organizations.

Participation continued efforts to encourage and facilitate the participation of variousgroups in society, in all stages of the planning process, through a variety of techniques.

Consultation and outreach use of consultative processes that target specific groups or inother ways make greater efforts to reach out to marginalized or vulnerable communities.

Empowerment Through Knowledge:

Use of new technology new technologies are being used as tools for tracking andmanaging data, outreach, education, receiving community feedback, monitoring andevaluation, and researching urban trends

Research many innovative research techniques are being used to find ways of betterunderstanding the unique needs and qualities of communities, ecosystems and economies

in transition10


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The integration of culture with community planning is consistent with the growing acceptanceof culture as one of the four pillars of sustainable cities and communities along with social,

economic, and environmental considerations.

References:

Government of Canada Department of Infrastructure and Communities Government of Canada External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities

(chaired by Mike Harcourt) The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability: Cultures Essential Role in Public Planningby Jon

Hawkes

Contemporary planning literacies and sensibilitiesIn Towards Cosmopolis(1998), Leonie Sandercock outlined five literacies(technical, analytical,

multicultural, ecological and design) that would equip planners with the necessary knowledge

to face present and future challenges, including the integration of cultural and community

planning.

To these she has added sensibilitiesthat might enable planners to rise to the challenges of 21st

century cities: A sensibility that is as alert to the emotionaleconomies of cities as it is to the political

economies; as alert to the city senses (sound, smell, taste, touch, sight) as it is to city

censuses; as alert to the soft-wired desires of its citizens as it is to the hard-wired

infrastructures; as concerned with the ludicas with the citys productive spaces, indeed

seeing these as inseparable;

A sensibility as curious about the spiritof place as it is critical of capitalist excesses; asensibility that can help citizens wrest new possibilities from space, and collectively forge

new hybrid cultures and places.

Sandercock goes on to outline four key qualities of a planning imagination that can be

harnessed to the task of urban transformation, that is, the task of building more just, more

sustainable and more beautiful cities. These four qualities she identifies as political, audacious,creative and therapeutic sensibilities.11


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ReferencesBerridge, Joe. (2006). The creative city. Plan Canada, 46(1).

Duxbury, Nancy. (2003, September). Cultivating creative communities: A cultural era for

Canadian cities. Municipal World.

Fielding, Jeff, & Couture, Gerry. (1994). Reflections on the profession. Plan Canada, 75th

Anniversary Edition.

Government of Canada. Department of Infrastructure and Communities. (2005). Integrated

community sustainability planning: A background paper. Ottawa: Department of Infrastructureand Communities.

Government of Canada. External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities (chaired by

Mike Harcourt). (2006, June). From restless communities to resilient places: Building a stronger

future for all Canadians. Final report of the External Advisory Committee on Cities and

Communities. Ottawa: Infrastructure Canada.

Hawkes, Jon. (2001). The fourth pillar of sustainability: Cultures essential role in public

planning. Melbourne, Australia: Cultural Development Network.

Healey,Patsy. (2003). Editorial.Planning Theory and Practice, 4(3): 245-24Jacobs, Jane. (1961). The death and life of great American cities. New York & Toronto: Random

House.

Jamieson, Walter. (1994). Canadian personal planning: A personal potpourri.

Plan Canada, 75th Anniversary Edition.

Nicolai, Andrei. (2001). The twenty-first century is here: Is anybody home?Plan Canada, 41(1).

Oberlander, H. Peter. (Ed). (2006a). The livable city. Vancouver working group discussion paper.

Prepared for World Urban Forum 3. Vancouver: Western Economic Diversification Canada.

www.wd.gc.ca/ced/wuf/livable/1a_e.asp

Oberlander, H. Peter. (Ed). (2006b). The planning city. Vancouver working group discussion

paper. Prepared for World Urban Forum 3. Vancouver: Western Economic Diversification

Canada. www.wd.gc.ca/ced/wuf/planning

Sandercock, Leonie. (1998). Towards cosmopolis. London, UK: Wiley Publishing.

Sandercock, Leonie. (2005, April 22). How far can/should planners go? A planning imagination

for the 21st century. Planning Institute of British Columbia Keynote Address, Victoria.

www.pibc.bc.ca/05conf/index.html

1Plan Canada, 46(2), Summer 2006, p. 132 Jamieson (1994)3 Berridge (2006)4

Duxbury (2003)5

Nicolai (2001)6

Sandercock (1998)7

Healey (2003)8

Fielding & Couture (1994)9 Nicolai (2001)10Oberlander (2006b)11Sandercock (2005)

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