Integrated Planning
This is the decision-making processes that include consideration of a broad range of environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts. A sustainable community is created in complex environmental, economic and social connections at local, regional and global scales. The sustainable community is one that seeks to improve its own natural and cultural environment, whilst also meeting the conditions of global sustainability. Planning for sustainability promotes responsible development and not anti-development. It requires a democratic process of planning to achieve the greatest common good for all segments of the population, protect the health of the environment and, assure future generations of the resources they will need to survive and progress.
Principles Integrated Community Sustainability Planning
The following are the principles of integrated community sustainability planning:
- Comprehensive Analysis: Sustainability requires planning that considers economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts, including those that are indirect and long-term. This requires adequate information and evaluation tools that allow stakeholders and decision makers to understand the effects of their decisions.
- Integrated and Strategic planning: Sustainability planning requires that individual decisions support a community’s long-term strategic objectives.
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- Focus on Goals, Performance Indicators and Outcomes: Sustainability requires that planning be based on goals and outcomes, such as improved social welfare, ecological health and access. It does not limit analysis to financial impacts and market activities.
- Consideration of Equity: Sustainability emphasizes that equity impacts should be considered in decision-making, including those that are indirect and long-term (imposed on future generations).
- Market Principles: Market principles include consumer choice, full-cost pricing and economic neutrality that support sustainable outcomes.
- Precautionary Principle: Sustainability supports the precautionary principle, which emphasizes the importance of incorporating risks in decision-making and favoring policies that minimize such risks when possible.
- Conservation Ethic: Sustainability favors solutions that increase efficiency and reduce resource consumption, due to uncertainties about future conditions.
- Transparency, Accountability and Reporting: Sustainability requires a clearly defined and transparent planning and reporting process. This permits all partners to determine respective roles and responsibilities, and clearly see progress.
- Continual improvement: There is an imperative to take immediate action to become more sustainable and to make continual improvement. Change will not occur all at once; however, it is important to make continual improvements by making the most of advances in technology and scientific understanding about what is sustainable, and by making the most of increases in community awareness of sustainability issues.
- Public Involvement: Recognition that sustainability cannot be achieved, nor significant progress made toward it, without the support and involvement of the whole community. Adequate opportunities for stakeholders to become informed about issues and to become involved in decision-making and good communication between professionals and the general public. Ongoing community input and feedback required for successful implementation of sustainability plans.
- Implementability: A typical failure of many planning processes is the failure to implement (in part or fully) the actions described in the plans. The vision and actions outlined in the plans must be appropriate for the community and must be implementable.
Benefits of Integrated Community Sustainability Planning
- Cost Savings
Effective policy integration and good long-term planning can save resources and, therefore, money. Improvements in infrastructure services and cost savings can also be made through practices such as “life cycle” costing of assets such as buildings, roads and sewer systems. It can result in increased longevity of the asset, less disruptions to the services and increased returns on investments.
- Enhanced Capacity to Meet Community Needs
Municipalities are more likely to meet the needs of their communities by taking an integrated approach.
- A Strong and Creative Community
By seeking to address economic, environmental, cultural and social issues, an ICSP encourages creative solutions for example, providing opportunities for attracting new future-focused industry (such as energy efficient manufacturers or industries that uses new technologies or recycled materials) to increase sustainable jobs in the area.
- Managing Change More Effectively
Local authorities are always faced with change. This includes increased community expectations, delegation of powers from higher levels to local government and revenue limitations. An ICSP can help municipalities deal with change. An ICSP is a cohesive approach, bringing together future planning needs with new structural realities. It allows a local council and its community to develop a locally appropriate means of managing change towards a desired future.
- More Effective Policy Development
Improved planning and different corporate structures are likely to result from the long-term focus of the ICSP and its emphasis on the integration of environmental, economic, cultural and social policies and community involvement. With sustainability as the goal, reconciling the competing pressures for economic development, environmental protection, cultural expressions and a more equitable society should be a priority for the community.
- Greater Community Cohesion
Involving people in collective decision-making about the future of their community can go a long way to fostering a sense of common purpose and building social capital (bridging and bonding ties), particularly among a diverse citizenry. While community ownership of an ICSP will not solve complex social issues and tensions, inclusive community planning processes reinforce democratic dialogue and civic engagement that are at the foundation of cohesive communities.
- Stronger Regional Links
Sustainability requires cooperation across the many organizations that are responsible for related issues such as air quality, transportation, economic development, cultural activities and so on.
Regional links must be developed and nurtured to address issues that extend beyond the political boundaries. The development of innovative regional collaborative planning efforts can lead to benefits in other areas.
- Staying Relevant
The ICSP provides the opportunity to capture the imagination of the local community. Rather than just servicing the community, local authorities can play a greater role in community development.