Planners and the new urban agenda: will we lead the agenda, or will the agenda lead us?

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-441
Author(s):  
Bruce Stiftel

The United Nation’s New Urban Agenda has created a playbook for planning advocates. It opens possibilities for building inclusive, integrated urban planning in countries where planning has been top-down and limited in scope. Yet it raises concerns about ignoring the power of industry and imposition of global ideas inappropriate to national contexts. Success will require strengthened capacity building for the urban professions, and sensitivity in adapting global best practices to national contexts.

Author(s):  
Diletta Colette Invernizzi ◽  
Giorgio Locatelli ◽  
Naomi J. Brookes ◽  
Martin Grey

Project management literature has, until now, mainly focused on new build and only in the last decades the issues of decommissioning (mega) projects has arisen. To respond to this changing environment, project management will need to understand the challenges of decommissioning projects. Decommissioning projects within Oil & Gas, Chemical and Nuclear sectors are characterized by high costs, long schedules and uncertainty-based risks. The budget for Nuclear Decommissioning Projects and Programmes (NDPs) are subject to well publicized increases and, due to their relatively recent emergence, complexity and variety, key stakeholders lack a full understanding of the key factors influencing these increases. Benchmarking involves “comparing actual or planned practices [...] to identify best practices, generate ideas for improvement” [1] and offers significant potential to improve the performance of project selection, planning and delivery. However, even if benchmarking is the envisaged methodology to investigate the NDPs characteristics that impact on the NDPs performance, until now, it has only been partially used and there is a huge gap in the literature concerning benchmarking NDPs. This paper adapts a top-down benchmarking approach to highlight the NDPs characteristics that mostly impact on the NDPs performance. This is exemplified by a systematic quantitative and qualitative cross-comparison of two major “similar-but-different” NDPs: Rocky Flats (US) and Sellafield (UK). Main results concern the understanding of the alternatives of the owner and/or the contractors in relation to (1) the physical characteristics and the end state of the nuclear site, (2) the governance, funding & contracting schemes, and (3) the stakeholders’ engagement.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095624782110240
Author(s):  
Zlata Vuksanović-Macura ◽  
Igor Miščević

Citizen participation in the planning and decision-making process in the European post-socialist context is much debated. Still, the involvement of excluded communities in the urban planning process remains understudied. This paper presents and discusses the application of an innovative participatory approach designed to ensure active involvement of an excluded ethnic minority, the Roma community, in the process of formulating and adopting land-use plans for informal settlements in Serbia. By analysing the development of land-use plans in 11 municipalities, we observe that the applied participatory approach enhanced the inhabitants’ active participation and helped build consensus on the planned solution between the key actors. Findings also suggested that further work with citizens, capacity building of planners and administration, and secured financial mechanisms are needed to move citizen participation in urban planning beyond the limited statutory requirements.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D van Dale ◽  
K Leenaars

Abstract In the Netherlands the best practice portals contains approximately 325 best and good practices with different levels of recognition (well described, theoretically sound and effective). Evaluations of the portal (2013 and 2018) show that the portal is well appreciated by professionals of municipal health services and stakeholders but the uptake of best practices can be improved. An implementation study (2014) to the uptake of interventions revealed that the RIVM had to work on dissemination strategies for policymakers, capacity building implementing best practices by professionals and incentive strategies for both groups. In this presentation the focus is on the capacity building of professionals. In order to support professionals and policymakers with evidence-based decision making the RIVM developed the online Manual Healthy Municipality, Healthy School and Healthy Kindergarten. In the manuals overviews of best practices are presented per theme (e.g. smoking), target group (e.g. elderly) or setting (e.g. neighbourhood) in combination with tools and instruments for intersectoral collaboration, citizens involvement and monitoring and evaluation. These manuals are well known and combine process information (how) with product information (what: effective programs and what works overviews). The implementation study showed also that professionals would like to have more support in the form of workshops and masterclasses. In order to get this the RIVM organizes workshops how to describe an intervention for recognition and how to adapt an intervention. The assumption that a recognized can't adapted to the local contexts was one of the inhibiting factors of the implementation of best practices. To ensure that the adjustments are made properly we have developed a checklist for the adaptation of interventions which is the base of the workshop. Professionals can also ask for a tailored work shop for example how to create support for the use of best practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (0) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Ryan A. Whitney

This research explores the role of trendy urbanists in best practice uptake within an innovation laboratory in Latin America. Trendy urbanists are the privileged professionals who aspire to be on the cutting edge of urban planning, frequently referencing best practice policies and programmes that they see as supporting ‘livable’ and ‘sustainable’ city building. Taking the case of the Laboratory for the City in Mexico City, I illustrate that the preferred best practices of trendy urbanists are reflective of their own privilege. I conclude that, by relying on best practices and trendy urbanists, innovation laboratories are susceptible to fostering inequitable planning outcomes.


Author(s):  
Cynthia M. Montaudon Tomas ◽  
Eliseo L. Vilalta-Perdomo

This chapter discusses an experience in service learning in a rural community in central Mexico, developed by students from a private university located in the area. The aim is to identify if this educational approach builds on interactions that support individual and collective improvement simultaneously. Service learning was introduced and tested at this institution to enhance the academics' educational tool box. This development was embedded in a core (not elective) module focused on developing students writing and research skills. Problems emerged when students were asked to organize and execute a project. They started planning based on preconceived ideas before visiting the place. As a result, the project initially involved a top-down design for restructuring a community. Even though this might be useful, the project required incorporating service learning principles. These consider issues such as capacity building that may start from community needs or aspirations; a bottom-up approach that was not recognized initially by students. The expectation was to develop something ‘different' in a community that had been receiving aid from different sources and had not yet thrived.


2010 ◽  
pp. 322-330
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Mutula

The primary focus of this book has been on digital economies, SMEs and e-readiness. With the exception of this chapter, which provides the book’s summary and conclusion, the eighteen chapters that make up this book collectively cover conceptual aspects of the core subjects discussed, i.e. the digital economy’s components and infrastructures; the digital divide and its implications to SMEs, e-readiness and the digital economy; ereadiness measurement tools and methods; e-commerce and e-business; e-government; content, knowledge and e-records management; e-readiness of SMEs in the digital economy; information needs and behaviour of SMEs in the digital economy; capacity building - SMEs and the digital economy; globalisation of the digital economy; trends and best practices in the digital economy; and challenges of the digital economy.


Author(s):  
Gabriella M. McLoughlin ◽  
Priscila Candal ◽  
Spyridoula Vazou ◽  
Joey A. Lee ◽  
David A. Dzewaltowski ◽  
...  

Abstract Background School wellness programming is important for promoting healthy lifestyles and academic achievement in youth; however, research is needed on methods that can help schools implement and sustain such programs on their own. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors within and outside the school environment that influenced school capacity for implementation and potential sustainability of wellness programming. Methods As part of the School Wellness Integration Targeting Child Health (SWITCH®) intervention, elementary school wellness teams (N = 30) were guided through a capacity-building process focused on promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors in students. Data on implementation were collected through three standardized surveys and interviews (pre-mid-post) and a post-implementation interview. Indicators of organizational capacity were assessed using the School Wellness Readiness Assessment (SWRA). Paired t-tests were run to assess changes in implementation (classroom, physical education, and lunchroom settings), capacity, and stakeholder engagement over time. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were run to examine how implementation of best practices (low, moderate, high) explained differences in capacity gains. Qualitative data were analyzed through inductive and deductive analysis, following the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results Paired t-tests showed non-significant increases in school and setting-specific capacity and implementation of SWITCH best practices over time, in addition to a consistent level of engagement from key stakeholders. ANOVA results revealed non-significant associations between implementation group and gains in school capacity (F [2, 24] = 1.63; p = .21), class capacity (F [2, 24]=0.20 p = .82), lunchroom capacity (F [2, 24]=0.29; p = .78), and physical education (F [2, 24]=1.45; p = .25). Qualitative data demonstrated that factors within the outer setting (i.e., engaging community partners) facilitated programming. Inner-setting factors (i.e., relationships with administration and staff) influenced implementation. Implementation process themes (e.g., planning, adaptation of resources to meet school capacity/needs, and engaging students as leaders) were cited as key facilitators. Schools discussed factors affecting sustainability, such as school culture and knowledge of school wellness policy. Conclusions The results from this implementation study document the importance of allowing schools to adapt programming to meet their local needs, and highlight the strengths of measuring multiple implementation outcomes. Increased support is needed for schools regarding the formation and improvement of wellness policies as a means to enhance sustainability over time.


2018 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 417-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Badach ◽  
Paulina Kolasińska ◽  
Małgorzata Paciorek ◽  
Wojciech Wojnowski ◽  
Tomasz Dymerski ◽  
...  

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