Abstract
Abstract For years now, spatial planners have played a vital role in managing and balancing the different interests of a wide range of stakeholders in a specific region. With the help of formal and informal instruments, the design of spatial plans is created, but sometimes there are either flaws or gaps in the plans by which the stakeholders would have benefitted. It is important to witness the changes being made in the pattern of planning and analyse the suggestions being made by the intellectual involved. In this article, existing scientific literature has been reviewed, as well as dynamic and comparative analysis and synthesis techniques have mainly been employed for the study. The aim of this article is to study the spatial planning practices in Europe and analyse the governance in spatial planning, which as a result shows different planning modes. With the help of literature, formulating the characteristics of informal planning is an eccentric part of this analysis to understand the direction of development in formal institutions. Test planning process is analysed using the ten characteristics of informal formal planning. From the best practice perspective, decision making in spatial planning must be decentralised, and the tools of spatial planning must be less binding, which has been broadly practiced in Switzerland. The outcome of the research will help avoid floccinaucinihilipilification in spatial planning.
Highlights
Spatial planning first originated in the 6th European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT) in 1983
Decision making should be decentralised, and the tools of spatial planning must be less binding. Informal planning procedures such as test planning process can be used in tackling complex spatial problems
The characteristics of informal planning analysed clearly indicate that informal planning can aid the spatial planning process especially in countries that are still using a traditional way of planning and this will help in avoiding floccinaucinihilipilification in spatial planning
Summary
Spatial planning first originated in the 6th European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT) in 1983. In 1983, the concept of spatial planning was defined in two points, which were points 8 and 9 to be precise. “Regional/spatial planning gives geographical expression to the economic, social, cultural and ecological policies of society; 9. It is at the same time a scientific discipline, an administrative technique and a policy developed as an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach directed towards balanced regional development and the physical organisation of space according to an overall strategy”. The characteristics of regional/spatial planning, which were defined in the conference, were democratic, comprehensive, functional and long-term oriented (Prospects of development and of spatial planning in maritime regions, 1983). The description of spatial planning for almost three decades has been revolving around the same characteristics, which are participation or inclusion (democratic), co-ordinated (comprehensive), caring about shared values or cultures, etc
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