Barbara Illsley

Fair participation—a Canadian perspective

Abstract There has been a resurgence in interest in public participation as a component of planning policy agendas in recent times, with authorities providing ever increasing opportunities for citizens to influence decision-making processes. This has not resulted in greater public satisfaction with decisions, however. Procedural justice studies suggest that this dissatisfaction could relate to citizens’ perceptions of the fairness of the processes being followed. This article examines the role of the public in the regeneration of a former military base at Downsview Lands, Toronto, Canada, evaluates the experience in terms of fair participation and suggests lessons for similar projects elsewhere.

Strategic environmental assessment as a tool of environmental governance: Scotland's extension of the European Union SEA Directive

Abstract The coverage of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has been extended to all public sector policies, plans and programmes subject to Scottish jurisdiction. Evaluation of the arguments advanced by the Scottish Executive for using environmental assessment as a tool for environmental governance requires an exploration of some of the contested interpretations of the function of environmental assessment at a strategic level. The paper examines the implications of this extension of the European Union SEA Directive in the context of current arrangements to fit environmental assessment into the UK tradition of integrated policy appraisal. It considers the methodological implications of using SEA explicitly for improving public sector decision making at all levels and across all activities. This enables environmental effects to be taken into account at an early stage in the formulation of government policy, through a transparent system of assessment which encourages public participation.

National Parks in Scotland: Balancing Environment and Economy

The use of National Park designations to bring about aims including the protection and conservation of the natural environment has become established in most European Union member states. In the UK, such arrangements have long featured in England and Wales, but they have not been paralleled by similar designations in Scotland. Now, however, National Parks are being introduced in Scotland. While the proposed arrangements build on the experience of National Parks elsewhere in Europe, and particularly in England and Wales, they incorporate the distinctive feature of seeking to bring about socio-economic development as well as environmental protection.

Community Innovation in the Soft Spaces of Planning

Adopting the distinction between hard and spaces of governance, this paper explores the nature and extent of integrated planning within the governance spaces of northern British Columbia and the extent to which the systems in place support innovative practices on the ground. Drawing on research undertaken in two rural settlements, the study reveals limited integration in formal planning structures and processes but an increasing recognition of the need for collaboration across boundaries in new and dynamic arenas. Soft spaces have created opportunities for local communities to be innovative in their quest for a more sustainable future, and these findings highlight a potential role for communities in securing integrated planning, not as invited participants in planning processes but as leaders or promoters of cross-sectoral initiatives.

Commercial and Industrial Developments in National Parks in England and Wales: Lessons for the Scottish Agenda

Abstract The National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 provides the legislative framework for the creation of new national parks in Scotland. The Act sets out four aims for the Scottish National Parks, one of which is the promotion of sustainable economic and social development in the parks. This aim is particularly important as it reflects a contemporary view of national parks as working areas. In order to inform the evolving policy debate, the Scottish Executive commissioned research to review best practice with respect to the provision of new industrial and commercial facilities in national parks in England and Wales. This article considers the findings of the research and highlights lessons that can be drawn in order to inform the on-going national parks debate in Scotland. It concludes that positive and assertive planning and management policies are entirely appropriate in order to promote the provision of high quality and innovative industrial and commercial premises in the Scottish National Parks so as to meet the objectives relating to the sustainable economic and social development of the designated areas.

Promoting cohesion in measuring homelessness within the European Union

In recent years, the European Union has taken significant steps towards closer cooperation in the field of social protection and inclusion, recognising the contribution that social policy can make to economic performance. Greater cohesion has been promoted through the open method of coordination (OMC), a process based on the adoption of common objectives, reconfigured governance networks and policy learning and transfer. Homelessness is part of this agenda. This paper offers an assessment of the OMC hypothesis with respect to measuring homelessness. It demonstrates that the OMC process has had some success in promoting closer collaboration but that substantial differences remain between states in their approaches and methods to homelessness data collection. It concludes by arguing that the current approach to homelessness within Europe is unlikely to achieve the goal of developing integrated responses to prevent and address homelessness without significant additional direction and action at both European and national levels.

Promoting environmental justice through industrial symbiosis: developing pelletised wood fuel to tackle Scottish rural fuel poverty

Scottish Executive policymakers are seeking to promote sustainable regional development programmes that combine economic, environmental and social objectives. A primary aim is to deliver environmental justice, offering disadvantaged groups the opportunity to improve their quality of life through measures that improve access to environmental goods and services. This paper examines the theoretical arguments for promoting wood processing clusters, based on industrial ecology principles, as a means of addressing rural fuel poverty. Drawing on a study undertaken in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, it explores the potential for using wood biomass from a rapidly growing Scottish forest industry sector to establish a commercially viable market for pelletised wood fuel. The paper identifies the logistical and policy issues that must be addressed before such an initiative can be successfully launched.

FISHING FROM THE SAME POOL: THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE ON LOCAL CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIONS IN SCOTLAND AND THE US PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The impact of environmental governance on the delivery of local climate change plans is examined by comparing two transatlantic sub-national jurisdictions which have adopted stringent targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions: Scotland and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The former relies on dirigiste top-down environmental governance, through which central government sets targets and imposes statutory duties that apply equally to all local councils. In the latter, a bottom-up multi-level form of environmental governance has emerged to compensate for the absence of a federal mandate. Specific action plans from a climate change pioneer in each location are assessed to test the strengths and limitations of these alternative modes of environmental governance: Portland in Oregon and Fife in Scotland. The Scottish dirigiste approach offers its local councils a consistent policy framework, allowing them to focus on specific measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while avoiding concerns about free-rider effects from non-participating councils. The asymmetrical uptake of climate change measures by United States municipalities exposes their domestic market to the risks of carbon leakage that America sought to avoid in global markets during negotiations over the Kyoto Protocol.

Community‐led planning? The case of Dundee

Abstract The potential of community‐led planning has been demonstrated in the recent practice of land use planning in many areas of the UK. While this has been encouraged to a degree by central government, particularly in terms of facilitating viable partnerships between agents in the development process, the specific role of individual authorities has also been significant in many cases. Since the 1980s, the City of Dundee has progressed a series of initiatives that have involved the community directly in issues related to land use planning. These include the Councils participation in the Whitfield Partnership, which was one of the Governments four ‘New Life’ Partnerships; the preparation of a district‐wide local plan for the City, which prioritised the involvement of local people through the creation of a series of community and business fora; and most recently, the preparation of a regeneration strategy for Urban Programme funding, which has been developed in close collaboration with the local commun...