Bhishna Bajracharya

The Second Life of urban planning? Using NeoGeography tools for community engagement

The majority of the worlds citizens now live in cities. Although urban planning can thus be thought of as a field with significant ramifications on the human condition, many practitioners feel that it has reached the crossroads in thought leadership between traditional practice and a new, more participatory and open approach. Conventional ways to engage people in participatory planning exercises are limited in reach and scope. At the same time, socio-cultural trends and technology innovation offer opportunities to re-think the status quo in urban planning. NeoGeography introduces tools and services that allow non-geographers to use advanced geographical information systems. Similarly, is there a potential for the emergence of a neo-planning paradigm in which urban planning is carried out through active civic engagement aided by Web 2.0 and new media technologies thus redefining the role of practicing planners? This paper traces a number of evolving links between urban planning, NeoGeography and information and communication technology. Two significant trends – participation and visualisation – with direct implications for urban planning are discussed. Combining advanced participation and visualisation features, the popular virtual reality environment Second Life is then introduced as a test bed to explore a planning workshop and an integrated software event framework to assist narrative generation. We discuss an approach to harness and analyse narratives using virtual reality logging to make transparent how users understand and interpret proposed urban designs.

Sustainable campus: engaging the community in sustainability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the major factors necessary for engaging university campus community in sustainability. While general awareness in sustainability issues has improved in recent years through mass media coverage, this knowledge is not always translated into actual sustainable practice. Studies have indicated that there are many factors for engaging the community in sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – A multi-disciplinary literature review is first undertaken to distil the drivers that enhance participation in sustainability programmes by the university community. Next, to illustrate the applicability of the factors identified in the community engagement framework, two case studies are undertaken to highlight the importance of the identified factors in influencing the level of community participation in their sustainability programmes. Findings – The 6-P framework for community engagement includes factors such as psychological needs, physical facilities, personal ...

Participatory project management for improved disaster resilience

Purpose – Disaster response and recovery is implemented through multiple projects with traditional project management approaches criticised as too time consuming and inflexible in circumstances of high uncertainty, requiring rapid reaction for multiple stakeholders. This research aims to understand the role of project and stakeholder management in the management of disasters as an opening for identifying improved disaster resilience opportunities using participatory project management approaches. Design/methodology/approach – Using the 2011 Queensland floods as a case study, the positioning of project management in disaster management discourse was investigated through summative content analysis. Findings – Results demonstrate that project and stakeholder engagement are poorly positioned in current disaster management discourse, although risk management appears more central, closely associated with disaster response. Research limitations/implications – This is the first stage of more extensive reviews of ...

Narrowing gaps between research and policy development in climate change adaptation work in the water resources and agriculture sectors of Cambodia

Narrowing research and policy, while challenging, is especially important in climate change adaptation work (CCA) due to the high uncertainties involved in planning for climate change. This article aims to seek stakeholders’ opinions regarding how research and policy development can be bridged within the Cambodian water resources and agriculture sectors. The study used institutional ethnography methods with informants from government organizations, local academia, and development partners (DPs). This article identifies a number of challenges, and barriers for narrowing research–policy development gaps, including: limited effectiveness of governmental policies and planning; lack of relevant information required to promote evidence-based planning and policy development; and communication barriers. Evidence-based planning is valued by government officials most when there is actual and effective implementation of policies and plans. In practice, this often implies that governmental policies and plans need be scoped and scaled down to meet the available budget, and thus be achievable. In the long term, it also means building the capacity for policy-relevant research on climate change adaptation within Cambodia. Engaging policy stakeholders in research process for co-producing adaptation knowledge, and introducing knowledge intermediaries are suggested by informants as means to narrowing gaps between research and policy development. The presence of the Cambodias Prime Minister in research–policy dialogues is recommended as important for attracting the attention of high-level policy makers. Policy relevance As a least developed and highly climate-vulnerable country, Cambodia has received climate change funding to implement a number of climate adaptation initiatives. Cambodia is likely to receive more climate change finance in the future. This article aims to assist evidence-based planning, in particular, through policy-relevant research on CCA, so that resources for adaptation in Cambodia are used effectively and efficiently. This research also directly benefits the sustainable development of the country.

Evolving Governance Model for Community Building: Collaborative Partnerships in Master Planned Communities

The development and management of master planned communities (MPCs) involve achieving the twin goals of building a sense of community and creating a distinctive place. The roles of private, public and community sectors in realising these goals of MPCs are evolving over time. The article reports on a case study of the MPC of Varsity Lakes in Gold Coast to investigate the role of key stakeholders as well as their collaborative initiatives for community building. It examines the community governance model being introduced by the developer for the management of the development once the developer has completed work on the MPC and moved on. Some of the key initiatives on community building in Varsity Lakes include establishing a community bank, setting up a community intra-net and developing local economic development strategies. The developer has also taken a proactive approach of establishing a not-for-profit company, Varsity Lakes Community Limited (VLCL), with representation from residents, business, community groups and education providers in the area. The VLCL provides a basis for a community governance model to be applied for the management of the development after the developer exits the scene. The case study provides important lessons for effective governance of MPCs with greater community leadership and community ownership and engagement.

Integrating sustainability and principles of Local Agenda 21: A study of four local governments in NSW and QLD

Abstract Local Agenda 21(LA21) under the 1992 Earth Summit charter highlighted the important role of local governments in promoting sustainable development by working with local communities. By ratifying the charter. Australia has em‐braced the principles of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) and is therefore required to include it into local strategies and planning. The basic elements of LA21 include the creation of a community vision that brings together‐the aspirations of ail stakeholders; the establishment of a partnership between local authorities, communities, and businesses; the engagement in a community‐based, inclusive process of issue analysis; the preparation of action plans based on formalised objectives; and processes for implementation, monitoring, evaluation and feedback. How well does the Agenda 21 as a policy sit within the context of the local governments in Australia? How do different planning systems in Queensland and New South Wales have an influence in adoption by local councils? What are some of the challenges facing the councils in implementing the Local Agenda 21 ? These are some of the questions that the paper seeks to address. The paper reports on an ongoing study of four local governments, two in Sydney and : two in Queensland, to determine the extent of adoption of Agenda 21. The major aim of this paper is to review and assess the sustainability initiatives undertaken by the four under the different planning systems in two states. As part of the study, the paper reviews council strategic planning documents and bring out examples of community‐led sustainability projects in the two councils. It discusses how sustainability has been integrated into the council strategic planning documents and identifies the major barriers and opportunities for sustainable development in the two councils. The paper examines how adoption of the Agenda is influenced by a number of factors such as the nature of the planning systems in the two states, a commitment on the part of the staff to embrace changes, and the level of community participation. There is a strong need for systematic assessment of local councils performance against Local Agenda 21 to understand how ecologically sustainable development goals are being achieved.

Entry points for climate-informed planning for the water resources and agriculture sectors in Cambodia

Incorporating climate change concerns into national development planning allows adaptation to happen in harmony with the sustainable development of a country. Cambodia has received international support to enable climate change-resilient development; “mainstreaming climate change” is one of the key recent strategies. This article aims to identify entry points for integrating climate change concerns into national development planning, especially for the water resources and agriculture sectors. The study uses institutional ethnography research methods with informants drawn from government organisations, local academic institutions, and development partners, together with content analysis of key policy documents. It was found that the Cambodian national planning process restricts the involvement of other actors such as researchers, civil society, and private sector; yet flexible, in that it provides opportunities for the inclusion of climate change and other related concerns. The study identified specific entry points in key policy documents, such as the National Strategic Development Plans, and ministries’ plans. Other entry points were identified in the development planning process, for example, in the process of development departments and ministries’ plans, and actors such as department planners, and departments of planning of line ministries. Climate-informed planning is now plausible; more significant integration of concerns with future climate change, however, will require more commitment and stronger connections among national planning stakeholders, adaptation actors, and research communities.

Supporting active and healthy living in master-planned communities: a case study

Current research suggests a link between urban design and healthy and active lifestyles. As such, there is a growing emphasis within new master-planned communities to create supportive environments for physical activities. In South-East Queensland such developments provide a range of community facilities and regularly organise events to promote active and healthy living. In the light of this new direction in urban development, the objective of the paper is to examine the role of master-planned communities in supporting active and healthy living, using a case study approach. Based on critical analysis of literature, the paper first proposes a conceptual framework for supporting active living in the communities. The framework comprises three factors: Place, Program and Partnership. This framework is then applied to a master-planned community in Varsity Lakes, Gold Coast, to assess its performance based on these three factors. The case study findings revealed several challenges in promoting active and healthy living, namely the following: (1) development of programmes accessible to all demographic groups; (2) physical development to promote use of active transport and (3) management and funding of not-for-profit organisations to spearhead the cause of promoting active and healthy living.