Fennie van Straalen

Delivering Planning Objectives through Regional-Based Land-Use Planning and Land Policy Instruments: An Assessment of Recent Experiences in the Dutch Provinces

This paper evaluates the extent to which the introduction of four new regional planning and land policy instruments in the Netherlands improves the delivery of regional planning objectives. On the basis of case-study research, we identify why and to what extent the Dutch regional authorities—the provinces—have adopted these new instruments and assess whether or not the instruments offer opportunities for improving the delivery of regional planning objectives. The study shows that regional policies and plans are often implemented without consideration of their consequences for national or local planning objectives. As a result, the instruments may not address current policy delivery needs, and may even compound local policy failures. We conclude that the use of such instruments should be accompanied by a more thorough discussion of regional planning tasks and objectives, and a debate on the role of regional authorities within the multilevel governance setting.

Integration and decentralization: the evolution of Dutch regional land policy

ABSTRACT The implementation of planning objectives in the public interest depends on the land laws and land policies of a state. Public stakeholders are not only enabled or constrained in their actions by these laws and policies, they also (re)formulate these laws and policies to support their actions. The objective of this paper is to understand how different stakeholders in spatial development processes influence land policy dynamics (both the (re)formulation and the implementation of policies) and vice versa. The paper explores the changes in land policies in the Netherlands, in particular how changes have enabled the regional planning level. The Policy Arrangement Approach is used to analyse the strategic behaviour of agencies and their use of structure in spatial development processes. The findings show that the arrangement rapidly changed from the 1980s onwards, due to changes in the underlying political discourses and the effectuation of these discourses via regulation and instruments. With objectives of decentralization and integration, the national government has enabled the regional planning level to become more active in spatial development processes. Although the provinces were enabled by new laws and policies, this did not significantly change their role within the Dutch planning system.The implementation of planning objectives in the public interest depends on the land laws and land policies of a state. Public stakeholders are not only enabled or constrained in their actions by these laws and policies, they also (re)formulate these laws and policies to support their actions. The objective of this paper is to understand how different stakeholders in spatial development processes influence land policy dynamics (both the (re)formulation and the implementation of policies) and vice versa. The paper explores the changes in land policies in the Netherlands, in particular how changes have enabled the regional planning level. The Policy Arrangement Approach is used to analyse the strategic behaviour of agencies and their use of structure in spatial development processes. The findings show that the arrangement rapidly changed from the 1980s onwards, due to changes in the underlying political discourses and the effectuation of these discourses via regulation and instruments. With objectives of decentralization and integration, the national government has enabled the regional planning level to become more active in spatial development processes. Although the provinces were enabled by new laws and policies, this did not significantly change their role within the Dutch planning system.

Expectation management at the local scale: Legal failure of public participation for large urban planning projects

The complex nature of large urban planning projects often results in delays or budget overruns. One of the causes is conflicts of interests between stakeholders. Recent planning failures in projects, due to limited public participation, sparked debates to increase citizen participation in formal planning procedures. This paper investigates how planning law supports public participation in large planning projects that cross municipal borders. The juridical analysis of German and Dutch codified law is based on four elements: literal content, institutional positioning, historical context, and teleological meaning of a legal text. The paper furthermore distinguishes four rationales for participation in planning: support,legitimization, improving plan quality, and education. The analysis shows that these rationales cannot be comprehensively regulated by codified law. Law can enhance the legitimate character of participation, but currently lacks the ability to organize support, improvement of planning, and education at the regional planning level.

Book review: Visionary Pragmatism: Radical & Ecological Democracy in Neoliberal TimesColesRomandVisionary Pragmatism: Radical & Ecological Democracy in Neoliberal Times. Durham; London: Duke University Press, 2016, 225 pp.

It is not often that a book questions our theoretical notions from the title onwards. With his title Visionary Pragmatism, Romand Coles immediately makes us question how both concepts fit together; how could pragmatism even be visionary? Pragmatism by (my) definition is practice-oriented, coincidental or even ad hoc and could be considered an antonym to visions or practices of visioning. As such, the book is thought-provoking from the very beginning. The sub-title adds more information about the author’s intentions: a focus on ‘radical & ecological democracy in neoliberal times’. Clearly, visioning and visions evolve around change – change towards a more ecologically friendly (and socially as the book clarifies later on) democracy. With this book, scholar-activist Romand Coles steps beyond what he refers to as ‘realist pragmatism’. He wishes to overcome the (philosophical) difficulties of a fixed present entirely disconnected from a utopian future. Coles’ purpose is to set us on a journey towards a brighter future, which would not exist if we stuck to our present neoliberal, capitalist and unsustainable pathway. As he explains, ‘I began to wonder if it might be possible to cocreate a radical democratic habitus that would become conductive to fresher, more potent thought and action in the face of the monumental crises of our times’ (p. 7). The current pathway is not easily overcome or diverted from. The power of neoliberal capitalism is strong, and in the face of this power, grassroots communities often fail to bring forth radical ecological change beyond micro-practices. Yet, Coles remains hopeful to bring about such change on a larger scale and embarks on an odyssey to theoretically and organizationally map out pathways towards a new sustainable democracy. He does so by drawing from several theoretical fields, including social theory, political theory, complex systems theory and neuroscience. As such, he binds different thought patterns and organizational structures which could hamper or bring forth desired radical changes. I purposefully say ‘bind’, rather than combine, as Coles makes it clear that there are two different dimensions: (1) a neoliberal dimension – in which radical ecologists or activists have to act and manoeuvre according to rules of efficiency, and (2) a radical democratic dimension – in which both scholars and activists can initiate and teach new 750303 PLT0010.1177/1473095217750303Planning TheoryBook reviews book-review2017

Property rights and climate change: Land-use under changing environmental conditions

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses property rights regime reform and challenges the current understanding of property rights regimes and examines the feasibility of a shift in our understanding of property rights to make these environmental changes. It investigates the insurance market and how financial incentives could persuade property owners to act differently in dealing with climate change. Changing environmental conditions – whether triggered by climate change or not – have an impact on land use. This impact can have positive or negative effects. The way land may be used is regulated by public policy, i.e. land use planning. Land use planning can be described as an activity that uses public power to implement and enforce rules about how people may use their property rights over land and buildings.