Pärnu regional plan (EU 30501) delivered The purposes of spatial planning

1. Learning in Planning;Regional Economic Development and Environmental careArild Holt-Jensen Pärnu, Estonia 8-10.02.2010 Pärnu regional plan (EU 30501) delivered The purposes of spatial planning Organisation and proactive policy promoting a ’learning region’ The Value Creation project in Kristiansand Inspiration for Pärnu Region ?

2. Planning as a learning process • Planning has been regarded as a REGULATORY praxis, to control activities • But it should be seen more as PROACTIVE PLACE MAKING TO CREATE A BETTER FUTURE • Planning is more than anything else a LEARNING PROCESS; through collaboration you find new ideas for future development

3. From traditional spatial planning to strategic spatial planning Type of planning Type of plans From • Controlling change • Guiding growth • Regulation of private development • Technical/legal regulation Land use planning Master plan “Physical” solutions to social problems To • Framework or guidelines for • integrated development • Works through the interests of • selected stakeholders • Managing change • Negotiated form in governance • Strategic plans • - Visions/frames of reference • - Justification for short-term up to • long-term actions Framing activities of stakeholders to help achieve shared concerns about spatial changes

4. Pärnu regional plan delivered • This plan is highly needed. The region got collected needed information on the region.AND • You have through discussions with planners, politicians learned a lot and have a regional master plan, mainly a land use plan? • Next is IMPLEMENTATION! Are some stakeholders missing in the planning discussions? • How to proceed to a STRATEGIC PLAN?

5. How to use the spatial plan? • The spatial plan is needed for 2 main purposes: • A) To REGULATE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE • B) To contribute positively to ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CARE.

6. From REACTIVE to PROACTIVE policies. • A (regulating environmental change) The region have learnt that some land use (ex ’Urban sprawl’) have created problems and demands which have to be met with REACTIVE actions. • Through the regional plan we try to look into the future, find out what the different scenarios may lead to and meet these, based on LEARNING, by PROACTIVE POLICY for further land use development; meeting the future challenges. • But IMPLEMENTATION of better land use needs PARTCIPATION of many stakeholders!

7. From reactive to PROACTIVE policies and planning (2) • B(Economic development and environmental care) is to a limited degree in the hands of planners and politicians; main actors are private industries, land owners and investors and need active knowledgebased involvement by the general public. Knowledge base in the population, trust and willingness to ’lift the regional competitiveness’ together crucial. • Negative economic trends may lead industries and workers to reactive’give up’ actions; close down business or emigrate.

8. Economic recession and unemployment is not unsolveable! • The NORDIC COUNTRIES with their high taxation and high labour costs have STRANGELY enough been able to overcome the recent crisis better than most EU countries. How? • Trust, equality, welfare services and cooperation between industry leaders and labour unions, corruption not seen as problem. • Innovations to meet restructuring and challenges have been met by practical strategic planning involving many stakeholders/participants. • How to ORGANISE such planning?

9. ’Learning in planning’; action research approach to regional economic development(Jens Kristian Fosse 2010) • Kristiansand regional plan: focus on POLICY DEVELOPMENT, not on decision making • Start: Value Creation project 2010 for the county. • Participants: County administration, municipal planners and politicians, representatives of trade unions, representatives of Norw. Confederation of Industries, Agder Research and Regional College, Innovation Norway,

10. Similar organisation in Pärnu county? • Present regional plan: County administration, planners and politicians from partner municipalities, Rambøll planning firm (Ok for a factfinding and land use plan) • Value creating strategic plan: County administration, planners and politicians from partner municipalities, representatives of local industries, representatives of worker’s unions, Enterprice Estonia, Pärnu College and researcher (Tartu University?). • Why not a planning firm??

11. VC2010 was for whole county, followed by local project Vennesla • Project needed as there was dramatic restructuring and decrease of work force in main industries (pulp and paper etc) • Public/private partnership needed to mobilize more economic resources

12. Time scale of Vennesla project • 1998:Economic Development Agency owned jointly by local authorities and private companies. Manager of agency also industrial manager in public administration • 2002: Grant application to national authorities (Like EU or EEA grants) • 2003: Grant 1 million NOK ca.120 000€ used to start local VC2010 project • 2005: Project ended.

13. Agder college and research got money to employ people to organise and assess the project

14. First step: Dialogue Conference • AIM: involve stakeholders and facilitate dialogue processes and to set up a development coalition. • Participants: 25 small, medium and large enterprises representing different sectors, politicians and bureaucrats from local authorities, representatives of county administration, researchers from Agder Research(College) • Five issues for improvement agreed upon: physical development, economic development, infrastructure, local mobilisation and place marketing, competence development

15. Second step: Development Coalition • Stakeholders identified through the conference and by local authorities invited to join the coalition. • Members were representatives of industries, trade unions and local authorities and organised by researchers who also had secretary function. • Main feature: all partners in coalition regarded as equal, have willingness to listen and learn from each other.

16. Work groups within the Development Coalition

17. Insitutional relations of the Development Coalition

18. The project groups set up ’action plans’ presented in a conference

19. Proposals of action plan • Establish new Business Park on location of closed down industry • Place marketing, tourism • New culture center including library • Educational and vocational training centre (cooperation between existing public offices) to provide higher educated workforce • Supporting youth business at local high school • Establish new areas for outdoor activity/recreation along the river

20. Concrete result 1:Business park

21. Otra (Pärnu) River festival

22. General model of project

23. Conclusions • Dialogue Conference is a good method for mapping and social mobilisation, action taking and implementation needs other methods and stakeholders interests in investments. • The project was important as a local learning process and led to shift of focus among partners from problems to opportunities. • The project was unexpensive as it was run locally by interested stakeholders. • Private/public partnership involved on one hand investors needing business schemes, public partners needed to develop projects for (EU) funding, and researchers got PhD projects!

24. Pärnu parallells? • The need to proceed further based on the present regional plan. • Development coalition could be formed after a dialogue conference between private and public stakeholders starting from the plan now presented. • Place marketing and tourism a major focus for one work group. Old town and riverside. • Innovation – industrial clusters and business parks • Vocational training (high schools and college)