Abstract
The stated purpose of Norwegian land use planning is to promote sustainable development. Environmental considerations are central in the planning process, but have to compete with many other goals and interests. In recent years, complexity, population density and similar factors have made the society more vulnerable. Several major floods, landslides and other natural incidents have raised public awareness about the safety aspect of planning. At the same time, better knowledge about natural systems, including the effects of climate change, have increased the level of uncertainty. In this article, I consider the relation between environmental and safety considerations in planning from a legal perspective. While the examples and theoretical framework are from the Norwegian legal system, the overall analysis is general and, thus, relevant also outside the national jurisdiction. Rather than being opposite and directly competing goals, I argue that safety and conservation can be promoted by the same measures, often with mutual benefits. Thus, the current focus on societal safety can actually enhance the environmental aspect of sustainable development.
Highlights
Symbolic SalamandersTriturus cristatus, or the northern crested newt, is an aquatic amphibian, often just referred to as a salamander
Planning in Norway is regulated by the Planning and Building Act of 2008 (PBA) [7]
PBA’s rules about societal safety can be divided in two categories: those relating to the assessment of the factual background for plans; and rules regarding actual safety measures in the plans
Summary
The northern crested newt, is an aquatic amphibian, often just referred to as a salamander. Aiming to keep the discussion focused, I concentrate on two aspects, namely how the interests affect information requirements in the process and which content they dictate in the final plan. Based on the analysis of the rules, I discuss the benefits of combining environmental and safety interests. Such combinations better promote the primary objective of sustainability, as well as making the plans more robust to uncertainty. I pose that measures meeting both safety and conservation interests will contribute to more than one aspect of sustainability and should be favored in planning and have stronger legal support. First, I turn to the potential interplay between safety and salamanders
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