scholarly journals Building Capacity for Sustainability: Strategic Planning Processes for Local Sustainable Development Practices in Western Balkan

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slobodan Milutinovic ◽  
Ana Jolovic

Municipalities on the Western Balkan have made significant progress in their strategic approach to local development after 2000. A number of municipalities have already developed and implemented strategic plans for local sustainable development. However, differences in capacities, management skills and motivation among local governments are easy to observe. The lack of substantial decentralization efforts, low internal capacity in municipalities, overlapping jurisdictions between central and local levels, a culture of non-participation and an unfavorable economic environment jeopardize the success of local development efforts. This paper analyzes local sustainable development planning processes and practices in three Western Balkan countries (Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia - Herzegovina) by using the Drina River Basin as a case study. KEYWORDS: • sustainable development • local community • Western Balkan • Serbia • Montenegro • Bosnia -Herzegovina

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (50) ◽  
pp. 101-112
Author(s):  
Danuta Guzal-Dec ◽  
Łukasz Zbucki ◽  
Agnieszka Kuś

AbstractThe work aimed to determine the scope of the good governance approach in the local development planning of local governments of rural and urban-rural gminas in the eastern peripheral voivodeships of Poland (Lubelskie, Podlaskie and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeships) and how the implementation of good governance principles in the process of elaborating and implementing local development strategies correlates with assessments of the strategy's suitability as a development management tool. The research used methods of analysis and criticism of the literature, statistical analysis and a survey method using an interview questionnaire addressed to local government authorities. According to our research, especially at the stage of developing the strategy, actions were taken regarding local-community and local-authority participation and active communication between the two, but a lower level of community participation was found at the implementation stage. There was a statistically significant relationship between adopting the principle of participation and accountability in preparing and implementing the strategy and how suitable the strategy was assessed to be as a tool for development management. It seems reasonable to apply the principles of good governance more widely in planning local development, not only while developing the strategy, but also in its implementation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomaž Deželan ◽  
Alem Maksuti ◽  
Matjaž Uršič

Despite being coined by international forums and promoted chiefly by international/supranational organisations and clubs, sustainable development is a concept that in essence rests on and is largely determined by the local level. The local level’s primacy in terms of introducing the principles of sustainability is openly stipulated by Agenda 21, thus providing the impetus for local sustainable development strategies – Local Agenda 21. These community-specific, long-term visions of sustainable co-existence serve as an important strategic tool for overcoming challenges communities may face while maintaining the general idea of the future. As prime standardised artifacts, local sustainable development strategies represent an excellent insight into the capacity of an individual community to achieve a sustainable future and deal with potential challenges. In this paper, we analysed four such visions of a sustainable future for two city and two minor Slovenian municipalities in order to examine their capacity to develop into sustainable communities. By employing George and Kirkpatrick’s (2006) framework for assessing sustainable development strategies, we identified useful and problematic aspects of the documents prepared by the city and town municipalities. The analysis showed that the transition period in Slovenia has left a significant impact on development planning and its consequences have yet to be fully resolved.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slobodan Milutinovic ◽  
Snezana Zivkovic

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to research local sustainable development strategic planning processes and practices in the Drina River Basin (geographical area delineated by the river Drina and shared among Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia). Design/methodology/approach – Research methodology included the analysis of the existing country-based strategic documents and processes, as well as the local strategic documents and processes of implementation in 21 municipalities in the Drina River Basin, including interviews with the representatives of central and local governments and civil sector and a questionnaire-based assessment of the situation and needs in municipalities. Findings – The paper argues that local sustainable development planning, although still lacking the proper methodological approach and facing insufficiencies in institutional and implementation capacities is becoming more appreciated by local authorities in the region. Originality/value – The findings should help better understand the interactions between local government institutions and civil society in the Drina River Basin municipalities in achieving local sustainable development, as well as the conditions enabling improved communication networks and capacity building.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingsheng Liu ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Jiaming Zhang ◽  
Xiaoming Wang ◽  
Yuan Chang ◽  
...  

AbstractAchieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a long-term task, which puts forward high requirements on the sustainability of related policies and actions. Using the text analysis method, we analyze the China National Sustainable Communities (CNSCs) policy implemented over 30 years and its effects on achieving SDGs. We find that the national government needs to understand the scope of sustainable development more comprehensively, the sustained actions can produce positive effects under the right goals. The SDGs selection of local governments is affected by local development levels and resource conditions, regions with better economic foundations tend to focus on SDGs on human well-being, regions with weaker foundations show priority to basic SDGs on the economic development, infrastructures and industrialization.


2019 ◽  
pp. 109-151
Author(s):  
Eve Z. Bratman

Chapter 4 focuses on the legacy of modernization-oriented planning processes, which are reinforced through transposition into the language and logics of sustainable development planning concerning how lands bordering the Transamazon and BR-163 highways will be protected, even as those roads are paved. The experiences of sustainable development explored in this chapter reveal how techno-managerial coordination and institutional capacity plays out on vulnerable landscapes and frequently marginalized populations, with consequences that are full of friction and imbalanced privilege. They also reveal how historically constituted relationships and understandings of modernity inform development projects, often reproducing long-standing inequalities.


2015 ◽  
Vol 776 ◽  
pp. 101-107
Author(s):  
Alit Merthayasa

Government of Indonesia through Ministry of National Development Planning/Head of BAPPENAS, recently launched a new initiative in regard to Sustainable Development Program/project criteria called Readiness Criteria. The purpose of the criteria is to select proposed development program / project submitted by local governments as well as donor/funding agency especially related to grant or loan funds, through assessment or screening process. The main criteria consist of: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact criteria. The screening process implemented using design and monitoring framework (DMF), which is introduced and developed by ADB funded project’s in Indonesia. Decision of the selection process was made based on project assessment tools (PAT). Nowadays, readiness criteria will be implemented during pre-design phase or during proposal submission stages under the planning and budgeting period as stated by Indonesia Development Planning Board/BAPPENAS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cazorla-Montero ◽  
de los Ríos-Carmenado ◽  
Pasten

The educational subject of Sustainable Development Planning in Europe is evolving due to the implementation of the Bologna Agreement across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This paper analyses a project-based learning strategy for training Sustainable Development Planning in postgraduate programs, in Spain (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM). This project-based learning strategy is applied to an International Postgraduate Program for Sustainable Rural Development—Erasmus Mundus, Master’s of Science—with the participation of five European Union universities that formed the Agris Mundus Alliance for Sustainable Development. Using a mixed methods approach, the research examined the program’s implementation through student and staff perceptions, from the technical, behavioral and contextual project management skills. The paper argues that the “Practical Learning platforms” used in the Master’s demonstrate the correct approach of the learning strategy based on teaching–research linked to the professional sphere. The findings that were identified can be categorized as follows: (1) Perspective: holistic thinking and intellectual coherence, defining the contextual skills that must be navigated within and across the broader environment, (2) Practice: experiential learning by reconnecting to real-life situations, and (3) People: Personal and interpersonal skills required to succeed in sustainable projects, programs and portfolios. Reflections on the experience and main success factors in the learning strategy are discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Željka Tonković ◽  
Jelena Zlatar

Abstract The article shows the results of the case study of Postira, a village and a municipality on the island of Brač (Croatia) and presents a positive example of sustainable community development on islands in the post-transition social context. Based on the theory of sustainable local community development and its four pillars (economic, ecological, social and cultural), we analyse both the secondary data and the primary data collected from semi-structured interviews with the key actors of local development. The study shows that economic, ecological, social and cultural domaines are connected in Postira which allows for sustainable development of the place. By examining various aspects of sustainable development in Postira, we present the general framework of sustainable island development. It is based on integral development of the local community on sustainability principles, it defines key processes and guidelines and can be applied to rural and island areas, taking into account the specificities of each community.


Author(s):  
Mustafa Dogan

Purpose – The concept of sustainable development is now widely accepted as a means of protecting natural resources and cultural heritage. One approach to ensuring sustainability, especially in relation to cultural tourism, is the ecomuseum. Turkey has considerable potential to develop ecomuseological models to encourage local sustainable development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of ecomuseums in Turkey by analysing the recent implementation of the concept in Hüsamettindere and Bogatepe villages. Current practices at these two sites are evaluated in comparison with the basic principles of ecomuseum theory. Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores local community involvement in two emerging ecomuseums in Turkey based on several years of participant action research by the author; it describes the nature of the two ecomuseums based on that experience. In addition an in-depth survey was carried out between February and April 2013 by Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University when 45 local participants were interviewed for their views on the ecomuseum developments, using the MACDAB method (Borrelli et al., 2008) as a guide. Findings – Even though the two implementations in Turkey have different features deriving from their local dynamics, they have had a similar experience in terms of the development process. Both began with a volunteer movement, the organisation of the local community, the formation of civil initiatives, a joint decision-making processes and the existence of participation and consensus. This process conforms to the basic principles of ecomuseology. The ecomuseums have also raised concerns about the loss of rural heritage and the mechanisms for conserving it within the model of the “living” ecomuseum. The most significant fact to emerge from this initial review of the two ecomuseums is that it is not necessarily their ability to conserve fragments of tangible and intangible heritage that is paramount in Turkey, but their importance in providing employment opportunities in rural areas. Originality/value – Ecomuseum movement is a very important and practical model for sustainable development and tourism. Ecomuseums can also be functional tools for protecting of cultural heritage and developing of local areas. Even though Turkey has got many cultural heritage sources, they are not used productively for local sustainable development. The two implementations will be sample to all natural and cultural heritage areas of Turkey for sustainable development.


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