Analyzing the set of actors involved in the process of city building, the citizen's role should be highlighted, from initial planning process of the municipal assembly to implementation through the development and construction. The citizen must be present in all phases of the process ensuring that the interpretation of reality in developing the overall management plan is the best possible. Thus also be present managing the consequences of its own citizens chosen, accepting the rights or duties arising from such management.
The participation of citizens in the planning of the city and particularly in the development of urban planning is essential to define the land uses, an increasingly scarce upon our island status, increasingly subjected to greater stresses.
Recent controversies arising in Canary urban documents such as General Plans of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Tacoronte, have generated massive opposition to ratification putting the planning and land use as a hot topic of discussion in the islands. With these controversial public participation in urban planning in the government of the territory, has acquired in recent years a renewed interest. It has generated the need for urban planning documents more transparent and democratic, demanding a greater contribution of citizen opinion on the final ranking of the municipalities.
Protests against Tacoronte General Plans and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
In the practice of drafting municipal planning, disclosure periods and citizen participation made conform to those required in the regulatory framework applicable on spatial planning and urbanism, listed in the various stages of approval and processing legally stipulated.
Public Information These processes regulated under the laws of current application, and made after the approval of each of the phases mentioned, are usually insufficient, recent controversies mentioned views. Is necessary to develop new methods of public participation, that promote the role of citizens in the decision-making of urban planning, affecting not only the “conditions” over private interests, but also on issues of debate on large urban development strategies, issues that typically motivate a priori much less.
As an example of citizen participation complementary method not covered by current legislation, include the procedure carried out in the drafting of the new General Plan de La Laguna, totally unusual and innovative with regard to practice. The Municipal Corporation had decided from the outset to support massively public debate on the future territorial, giving the word and, almost, the final decision to the citizens.
It is very interesting the participatory process driven from the City Council, since the channels established contact with the population, even before starting the drafting of the usual process of advance planning. It was established after a public consultation which allowed direct probing which could be the real concerns and needs of each neighborhood or town, from an initial document and other urban diagnostic criteria and management objectives.
New PGO Anagram La Laguna.
The results of this participation helped identify and clarify the structural issues and raise the propositional alternatives regarding each. The topics selected were those that, according to the provisions of the legislation, were of a structuring.
Thus, Advancement is presented to the public is clear and predominantly oriented towards participation, encouraging citizens to manifest their preferences debated and possible alternatives (within the proper limits of the criteria and objectives) to define the various components of future urban and regional model township. Si bien, in strict legal terms, Advancement is not binding, the commitment of the government team, explicitly stated, was that the results of public participation would become the basic guidelines from which to develop the detailed planning for the next step in the formulation of the Plan (which concludes with the initial approval document). With these premises, opened the mandatory public comment period, while the document available to the public in five offices open to the public for the purpose and on the Internet; also, eighteen explanatory meetings were held in as many citizens of the town centers.
From the systematization, quantification and analysis of citizens expressed preferences regarding each of the structural issues presented in the Advancement, were chosen management alternatives for defining the territorial model and subsequent detailed planning of the next phase of Initial Approval, currently processing period.
Citizenship is not accustomed to debate on major urban development strategies and certainly these issues motivate a priori much less than the “conditions” over private interests. Thus, in different performances in disclosure, was stressed that participation was required as the population over “citizens” that “proprietary”, explaining the difference between now asking for suggestions and allegations that might arise in the public information period after initial approval. But the result was very satisfactory, observing a major concern of citizenship issues of general interest of the municipality.
Public Information General Land Use Plans.
This innovative procedure has caused so any Canary municipalities currently require the review of their urban, have chosen this method of non-binding public consultation, which helps in obtaining a more democratic and transparent planning.
Given the complexity of the citizen can make to the interpretation and understanding of urban planning documents for their specific language, should adequate assistance from specialized technical teams to facilitate the contribution of citizens to urban and regional planning.
That is why CPPA, Planning Consultants, Landscape and Architecture, from its proven experience in drafting urban planning, offers its full availability to provide advice to your requests and / or suggestions in the processes of public information planning phase drafting and processing.
