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Stakeholders and Participation Student No: 130443540 Module: TCP8929 MSc Planning for Developing Countries Architecture, Planning & Landscape Newcastle University 27 th May 2014

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Page 1: Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - EN

Stakeholders and Participation

Student No: 130443540

Module: TCP8929

MSc Planning for Developing Countries

Architecture, Planning & Landscape

Newcastle University

27th

May 2014

Page 2: Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - EN

Module TCP 8929 Stakeholders & Participation Student no: 130443540

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1 THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTICIPATION

A stakeholder is any individual or group who has a stake in the outcome of a project or work, as

it may influence or be influenced by the project itself (Freeman, 1984).

According to Arnstein (1969), there are different types of public participation depending on the

level at which the public is involved. Arnstein’s ladder starts at the bottom considering the types

of participation where citizen are not really participating in anything, they are rather barely

informed and their opinion is basically not taken into account. In the middle of the ladder, we

can find the most common types of participation, where the public is informed about what is

happening in the decision-making process and sometimes it also gets involved, but still their

opinion, even once gathered, is not certain to be taken into consideration. The final steps

represent the most comprehensive type of public participation, where they are actually involved

in the decision-making process and their opinion is highly considered and evaluated. Overall,

there is no right or wrong type of participation; it rather depends on the situation and on how

participation is perceived in a country or among a certain culture. However, the concept of

participation and stakeholders engagement has increasingly been identified as a key to success

both within private and government sectors (Healey, 1997; Maginn, 2007; Bonoli, 2010; Van

Berkel et al., 2012).

Figure 1. Ladder of public participation, Arstein (1969)

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There are two basic streams of thought regarding the importance of stakeholder participation.

One is based on the democratic notion that all interested parties have the right to be involved

and to express their opinions regarding any project or regulation that affects them (Healey, 1997;

Driskell, 2002; Healey, 2003).

The other is based on the assumption that public participation can help to improve the

effectiveness of the regulations, as the involvement of the public provides information, arising

from local knowledge that planners could not have (Healey, 1997; Driskell, 2002; Healey, 2003).

Overall, stakeholder participation would add an advantage and an improvement in planning as:

It is a fundamental element of democracy

It helps to address the concerns of all interested parties;

It identifies alternative actions and ideas to be taken into account;

It provides a means to identify and resolve problems before the plans are finalised;

It focuses on matters of interest;

It enhances credibility of the planner with the public;

It helps to reduce the opposition;

It reduces the level of misunderstanding / misinformation about a project;

It helps to meet government requirements for planning and documentation;

It creates a better understanding of the project and its objectives;

It provides more sources / bodies of knowledge, skills and information.

2 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Stakeholder engagement strategy can be planned according to five key points (UNEP, 2005), as

follows:

1. The first key point considers the project’s strategic objectives and how they connect to

stakeholders and specific issues. It also determines an initial definition of priorities in

terms of stakeholders and issues for further analysis.

2. The second key point considers the different levels of involvement and the analysis of

existing relationships, available resources and organizational links. It is also used to select

the representatives of the stakeholders and to determine what kind of relationship is to

develop with them.

3. The third key point determines internal and external expertise and defines how to ensure

that all stakeholders have the opportunity to participate and have an effective part in the

process.

4. The fourth key point is dedicated to the various engagement techniques and to design an

approach that suits the needs of a specific situation and pursue the goals.

5. Finally, the fifth key point determines how to follow up the outcomes of engagement and

how to ensure that stakeholders feel secure about the quality of your efforts.

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Module TCP 8929 Stakeholders & Participation Student no: 130443540

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3 CONTEXT

Villa Franca is a historic building dating back to 1650, belonged for centuries to the Montaldi

family, descendants of Count Franco Montaldi, feudal lord of the Rampallo village, near the town

of Assisi in the Marche. The villa is of high historical and cultural value and has always been a

reference point for the inhabitants of Rampallo. For decades, the Montaldi family has permitted

de facto public access, allowing the residents of Rampallo and the surrounding areas to enjoy the

woodland area and the gardens that surround the villa. Thanks to this initiative, Villa Franca has

become a meeting point for families and a green cradle to escape from the usual urban areas.

Moreover, it was recently discovered that the woodland surrounding Villa Franca hosts a rare

species of lizard (Algyroides fitzingeri) that is possible to find just in a few limited areas of Italy

and therefore has been classified as an endangered species by the WWF. In a wider context, Villa

Franca and its gardens are located near the river Manno, one of the most important water bodies

in the area; while the other side overlooks a residential complex of public houses built in the 80s

to cope with the growing demand for affordable houses. Furthermore, the villa is situated in the

part of Rampallo that is closer to the major highway linking the area to the rest of Italy (about 1

mile away), making it a pleasant place to stop for travellers.

Villa Franca has recently been purchased by a private developer from Northern Italy, Mario Rossi,

owner of several residential estates in Liguria, Veneto and Abruzzo. After the purchase of Villa

Franca and of the adjacent woodland area, Mario Rossi has proposed a project to the local

authorities for the construction of a luxury residential estate complex together with a spa and a

private golf course. The realisation of this project involves the demolition of Villa Franca and the

removal of the woodland that surrounds it to make way for the new structures.

The project in question will have to be taken into consideration by the Council of Rampallo and

the Regional authorities to verify its appropriateness. In this regard, local authorities have

requested this report on the involvement of all the stakeholders that could be interest in and by

this project.

Image 1. Concept of Villa Franca and Rampallo – Pictures only for illustrative purposes.

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4 WHO ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS?

McElroy and Mills (2000) define stakeholders of a real estate development project, as people or

organisations with a stake on the completion of the project or on the alterations affecting the

environment.

According to Gibson (2000), stakeholders can be classified as internal or external, depending on

the relation that links them to who is proposing a development (in this specific situation, a private

developer).

Within internal stakeholders we can identify those who are officially part of the development

project, whereas external stakeholders are those who can be influenced or can influence the

development project in question (Gibson, 2000).

Considering the prosed development, the background and the context in which the area of

interest is located, several stakeholders have been identified and have been subsequently

divided into categories based on prioritisation and level of involvement, in accordance with

Gibson (2000) classification and adapting from Cleland concepts (1999).

Figure 2. Potential stakeholders for a real estate development project

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Module TCP 8929 Stakeholders & Participation Student no: 130443540

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INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

Project Team Developer, Mario Rossi

Architect, Rita Franzullo

Engineer Office, Eng. Pampiero

Shareholders Golfando Corp. - golf course management

Mens Sana Inc. - spa management

ImmobilDream Inc. - estate management

Security Check Ltd - vigilance and security systems management

Financial Supporters Sulis Investment Holding

Suppliers EdilFix Ltd - luxury building materials

ArtisanWood Ltd – luxury fixtures

Thermox Ltd – luxury bathroom fixtures

In-Grassati Ltd – artificial turf and lawn ornaments

Electron Ltd – electrical equipment, lifts and automatic gates

Internal stakeholders can be considered as one single group, since they all are supporters of the

development and they all seek to complete the development with cost-effective and no-time-

consuming methods, plus they all aim towards maxim profit from the development. Conflict may

arise with the local community and the associations (Caputo, 2012).

EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

Local and National Authority Region

Province

Council

ANAS (motorway management)

EcoMarche (waste management)

Political Organisations Lega Rampallo

S.E.R. Sinistra Ecologia Rampallo

Social Organisations Marche Golfers Association

Rampallo Youth & Scouts Association

Rampallo Seniors Association

Environmental Organisations WWF Italy

Local Community Families and Children

Adults in working age (employed and unemployed)

Retired people

Woodland and gardens users

Villa Franca users

Small enterprises

Local competitors

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The Region has jurisdiction over the protection of historical and cultural heritage, hence its

agenda focuses on the protection of cultural assets, in the context represented by Villa Franca;

in addition, the Region also wants to maintain the citizens’ political consensus. High risk of

conflict created by the demolition of Villa Franca.

The Province has jurisdiction over environmental protection and preservation, hence its agenda

focuses on the conservation of the woodland and on maintaining the water quality of the river

Manno; in addition, the Province also wants to maintain the citizens’ political consensus. High

risk of conflict created by the eradication of the woodland and by a possible contamination of

the river Manno’s waters.

The Council is responsible for the preparation of master plan and for the authorisation of new

projects; hence its agenda focuses on ensuring that the requirements imposed by the master

plan are met. In addition, the Council also has an interest in creating new job opportunities for

its citizens, to increase the number of valuable structures within its boundaries and to maintain

the political consensus of the local population. Potential conflict could arise in the final stage, as

the Council has the ultimate right to give or deny permission.

The operators of motorway services and waste management have a vested interest in keeping

their workload to current levels or increasing it as less as possible, to maintain low expenditures

and costs and to maintain high quality standards of their services. Potential conflicts may arise if

their workload increases beyond their capacities.

The political parties have the sole and only purpose of obtaining electoral support from the

population. In particular, Lega Rampallo has in its agenda as primary interests the creation of jobs

opportunities, an increase in economic activities and in the number of services in Rampallo,

enhancing its self-sufficiency. On the other hand, the S.E.R. has as its priority employment

increase and the protection of the municipal territory, including the maintenance of Villa Franca

and its woodland. Various conflict could arise within these political organisation as they already

conflict with each other.

Social associations in Rampallo and the surrounding areas have a specific interest related to their

activity and are divided into: Golfers Association, who want to extend their network and have

new golf courses in the area and nearby. Scout Association of Youth and Oratory, who have a

keen interest in environmental protection and conservation of green areas within their

municipality. Rampallo Seniors Association, who have an interest in maintaining their historical-

cultural values intact and maintain wide access to the green areas of Rampallo. These groups may

conflict with each other, since they have different interests and they might also conflict with

other stakeholders who pursue opposing interests.

WWF Italy has a primary interest in the conservation and protection of endangered lizard and its

habitat, which must remain intact and undisturbed. High risk of conflict with the developer and

the Project Team, since they want to disrupt the lizard’s habitat.

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The local community consists of several groups with mixed interests:

Senior citizens convey in the Rampallo Seniors Association;

Families and Children, who have an interest in maintaining access to the wooded area,

gardens and Villa Franca, also maintaining a good quality of life;

Adults in working age, who have a primary interest in seeing the creation of new

employment and maintain good standards of living;

Active users of the forest, gardens and Villa Franca, who have the primary interest to see

maintained the current state of things.

All these groups may conflict with the developer, as the majority would prefer to maintain the

state of facts and not lose their main historical and cultural value (Connor, 1988; Dorshimer,

1996). Nevertheless, they could also conflict with each other, as most of the people in working

age are unemployed and would probably welcome a development that offers new job

opportunities.

5 ENGAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

To achieve stakeholders’ approval it will be necessary to consider and consistently evaluate their

interests and their needs specifically (Caputo, 2012). According to the different stakeholders’

categories, various engagement techniques have been considered, based on suggestions and

experiences gathered by academic literature on the subject (DEECD, 2011).

5.1 STAGE 1 At an early stage, the main objective is to raise awareness about the real estate development

project amongst the local community (Caputo, 2012). In order to achieve this, an initial

advertisement action will be undertaken through leafleting and billboards. To raise awareness

among the authorities, agencies and organisations that have a stake, invitation letters to take

part will be sent to all their representatives (UNEP, 2005). Additionally, when appropriate, an

invitation extension to all who want to participate will be included, as one or few more individuals

usually represent local authorities, while political groups or social and environmental

associations may want to participate as a whole or elect one or few representatives (UNEP, 2005).

Once awareness has been raised upon all stakeholders a series of activities will be planned

throughout all the decision making process. In particular, activities will set and organised

according to the needs of the various stakeholders and in respect of their availability.

5.2 STAGE 2 The most important thing in engaging with stakeholders, especially those who might have a

strong interest in the subject, but do not have relevant power or influence, is to get them to know

who is proposing the development project in their community, so to encourage the perception

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that who’s got the power cares to explain his ideas directly to them and that he is interested in

hearing their opinion (Caputo, 2012). In order to achieve this step, a public meeting will be

organised in Rampallo’s community centre. In this occasion, the Project Team will give an

overview of the project and will answer some questions from the audience and a member of our

consultancy team will take the role of moderator and supervisor of the meeting and will take

notes of potential issues that may arise. The public meeting is mainly targeted for the local

community, but everyone who might be interested would be welcomed.

After this initial approach, the Project Team will be able to have an idea of what could possibly

concern the local community, while the local community itself can have a better understanding

of the development intents.

5.3 STAGE 3 At this stage, everybody will have a conscious opinion on the subject. The next approach will

narrow down on groups and individuals to better understand their concerns and opinions (UNEP,

2005). This step will concentrate on questionnaires and interviews, in order to identify who could

be in favour and who could be against the proposed development. Questionnaires will target

different groups of the local community and will be delivered in two forms, according to the

stakeholders’ preferences: an online format that can be filled in and submitted directly online,

and a postal format, which will be sent to those without internet access or IT knowledge (i.e.

elderly groups), to be completed and returned to a dedicated stand specifically installed at the

community centre.

Interviews will be conducted with the representatives of local authorities and with the members

of political, social and environmental organisation. Meanwhile, an advisory committee will be

created, comprising all the representatives of the internal stakeholders and the representatives

of the main external stakeholders, in order to keep information up to date and discuss about

potential progresses, based time by time on new collected data.

5.4 STAGE 4 At this stage, the planning consultancy team and the members of the advisory board will have a

more in-depth idea of the progress made within the engagement process. Now, it will be time to

organise focus groups and workshops, where the local community and the organisations can

come together in small or medium groups to discuss and share their points of view (UNEP, 2005).

Focus groups will be organised at different times and places, in order to involve as more people

as possible, depending on their availability. Each group of the local community will be invited to

participate to a dedicated focus group where to share opinions and have debates together with

the planning team. In addition, the different organisations will also have dedicated focus groups

with the planning team and, at the end of each meeting, the representatives of such

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organisations will have the possibility to briefly discuss their outcomes with the developer, with

the assistance and supervision of a member of the planning team.

Workshops will be organised specifically to help families and children to express their opinions

and point of views through a series of dynamic and creative activities, such as drawing,

painting, writing and playing.

5.5 STAGE 5 After this point, the internal stakeholders will be invited to a round table discussion, where they

will be able to take into consideration all the concerns and the suggestions made from the

external stakeholders and discuss possible changes and amendments to the project, in order to

address as far as possible the needs of the other stakeholders.

5.6 STAGE 6 Once the round table discussion will be completed, the revised development project will be

presented to the external stakeholders through a public exhibition, where all the changes made

to address previously raised concerns and suggestions will be highlighted and discussed again

to verify their suitability (Caputo, 2012).

5.7 STAGE 7 At the final stage, when all the opinions have been considered and included in the development

project, the Project Team will submit and discuss the revised project with the Council in order

to establish if the changes are consistent with the regulations in place. At this point, depending

on the consistency of the project combined with the outcome of the stakeholder engagement

strategy, the Council will decided whether to approve the development or not.

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6 ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE

Raising Awareness

Public Meeting

Questionnaire and Interviews

Focus Groups and Workshops

Round Table Discussion

Public Exhibition

Submission to the Council

Initial submission – A

stakeholder engagement

is required

Starting stakeholder

engagement – gathering

opinions and concerns

Expected time:

1 day for public meeting

2 weeks for questionnaires

and interviews

10 days for focus group

and workshops

Ending stakeholder

engagement – review

of the project in light

of new considerations

2 days for round table

discussion and 1

month to updated the

project and organise

the exhibition

Showing evidence that

opinions and concerns have

been considered

1 week for public exhibition

Final submission –

Awaiting for the

Council decision

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Module TCP 8929 Stakeholders & Participation Student no: 130443540

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7 BRIEF CONCLUSION

The Council of Rampallo will ultimately decide whether to approve or deny the real estate development

project. If permission will be granted, the planning team will follow the construction stages and will

provide appropriate means to keep all stakeholders informed and up to date until the end of the works.

Once the development will be completed, the planning team will conduct a concluding monitoring and

evaluation of the outcomes.

8 REFERENCES

1. UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme (2005). “Il Manuale dello Stakeholder

Engagement.” [Online] available at: http://www.accountability.org/images/content/2/0/205.pdf

2. Arnstein, S. (1969). “A ladder of citizen participation”. American Institute of Planners Journal.

July 216-224.

3. Bonoli, G. (2010). “The Political Economy of Active Labor-Market Policy.” 38: 435-457.

4. Caputo, A. (2013). “Systemic Stakeholders’ Management for Real Estate Development Projects.”

Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal 5(1): 66-82.

5. Cleland, D. I. (1999). “Project Management - Strategic Design and Implementation.” McGraw-

Hill.

6. Connor, D. M. (1988). “Breaking through the NIMBY syndrome.” Civil Engineering 58: 69-71.

7. Driskell, D. (2002). “Creating better cities with children and youth: a manual for participation.”

London: Earthscan.

8. Dorshimer, K. R. (1996). “Siting Major Projects & the NIMBY phenomenon: The Decker Energy

Project in Charlotte Michigan.” Economic Development Review 14: 60.

9. Freeman, R. E. (1984). “Strategic Management - A Stakeholder Approach.” Pitman Publishing

Inc.

10. Gibson, K. (2000). “The Moral Basis of Stakeholder Theory.” Journal of Business Ethics 26: 245-

257.

11. Healey, P. (1997). “Collaborative planning: shaping places in fragmented societies.” London:

MacMillan.

12. Healey, P. (2003). “Collaborative planning in perspective.” Planning Theory 2(2): 101-122.

13. Maginn, P.J., (2007). “Towards more effective community participation in urban regeneration:

the potential of collaborative planning and applied ethnography. Qualitative Research,7 pp25-43

14. McElroy, B. and Mills, C. (2000). “Managing Stakeholders.” In: Turner, R. J. and Sinister, S. J.

(eds.) Gower Handbook of Project Management 3rd edition: Gower Publishing Limited.

15. DEECD - Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2011). “Stakeholder

Engagement Strategy.” Melbourne.

16. Van Berkel, R., De Graaf, W. and Sirovatka, T. (2012). “Governance of the activation policies in

Europe.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 32: 260-272.

NOTE: Any reference to real things, people, cities or situations is purely coincidental.

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9 IMAGES

http://media.bodaclick.com/img/img_reportajes/15mil/6dec/15066_1327053712_4f193b9068

a87.jpg

http://media.bodaclick.com/img/img_reportajes/15mil/6dec/15066_1326698626_4f13d08207

5e7.jpg

http://www.camperlife.it/uploads/images/REGIONI/Marche/Pergola/panorama01.jpg