Municipal Strategic Planning Research Articles

ОСОБЕННОСТИ СТРАТЕГИЧЕСКОГО ПЛАНИРОВАНИЯ НА МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОМ УРОВНЕ

The article examines the legislative framework for strategic planning at the municipal level. The features of municipal strategic planning are identified and characterized. Examples of strategic planning practice in the Angarsk municipality are given

Goal achievement in municipal strategic planning: The role of executives' background and political context

AbstractStrategic planning has been increasingly used by local governments worldwide to boost performance. While this can be seen as a technical and political process, the relationship between managerial qualifications, political context and achievement of strategic goals in local governments has been scarcely studied. This study explores these relationships using data from 137 Colombian municipalities at the middle and end of the 2016–2019 mayoral term. Findings suggest that midterm strategic goal achievement is associated with mayoral experience, particularly in the national government where the tradition of strategic planning is better established, and this relationship increases with higher levels of municipal council support. Certain traits of the chief planning officer, appointed by the mayor, also correlate positively with midterm goal achievement. End‐term goal achievement is mainly associated with midterm paths. This research contributes to the performance management literature by highlighting the political‐managerial interplay in strategic goal achievement.

Territorial self-government in Russia as a national model of public participation in the exercise of public authority

Territorial self-government (TSG) is one of those institutions of Russian law that emerged in the process of transformation of socialist state law into contemporary constitutional and municipal law. However, it was not accepted by the national laws of a significant part of the former USSR states-republics, which used other forms of institutionalization of local communities. The legal nature of TSG is still a subject of controversy in Russian legal science. This article proposes a new approach to the description of legally significant properties of TSG in Russia through their comparison with similar or related institutions of other national legal systems: territorial self-government, public councils in municipalities, other national models of TSG (Republic of Belarus). This helped to distinguish between generic and specific characteristics of TSG and to draw a reasonable conclusion about the national (specific) features of TSG in Russia. The author pays special attention to differentiating the properties of public and citizens’ power, forms of direct democracy and forms of public participation. The author suggests possible ways of TSG development in Russia and the corresponding directions for improving legislation that correlate with the legal nature of TSG and its features, in particular, determining the procedure for TSG participation in the development and implementation of municipal strategic planning documents.

On Urban Planning and the Socio-Economic Development of Cities in Russia

This article analyzes features of urban planning and socio-economic development in Russia concerning problems that require legislative resolution. The author uses analysis, synthesis, formal legal, and logical methods to explore urban planning and socio-economic development issues. The dialectical method was applied to analyze legislation and its emerging practice. It was revealed that the change in the functional zones of urban land can often be carried out unreasonably, which leads to challenging these changes in court. At the same time, the consequences of such contestation by the legislator are not directly indicated, leading to legal uncertainty regarding the possible use of the land. It is proposed to legislate the consequences of declaring disputed changes invalid by the court, including restoring the former functional zone and bringing the territorial zone in line with the functional one by introducing changes to city authorities' land use and development rules. Based on the study's results on the practice of socio-economic development of cities, it was established that master plans and concepts are being developed in cities, the adoption of which is not provided for by the legislation on urban planning and strategic planning. According to the author, it is necessary to amend the Federal Law "On Strategic Planning in the Russian Federation" and supplement the list of municipal strategic planning documents with master plans and the concept of the city's development, which will correspond to the established practice. It is expected that the proposed ideas will improve the efficiency of urban space management and attract private investment in the formation of a comfortable urban environment.

Конкурс муниципальных стратегий – 2022: история стратегирования и флагманские проекты

The article describes the experience of designing and conducting a competition of municipal strategies “Implemented Strategies: From Idea to Execution”, held in 2022. The competition is seen as a method of practice analysis of municipal strategic planning in Russia during 25 years (1997–2022). The materials of participants i.e. 33 municipalities from 19 regions were studied. The participants were divided into three size groups by population. In each group, the winner in the final nomination “The Best Strategic Planning System” was determined based on the results in two intermediate nominations – “The Most Stable Strategic Planning System” and “The Best Flagship Project.” The best in the final nomination were the city of Belogorsk (Amur region), Surgut district and Surgut (both are located in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra). The systems of strategic planning of Koltsovo work settlement (Novosibirsk region), Surgut district and the city of Surgut, starting their history since 2002, 2005 and 2004, respectively, are recognized as the most stable ones. In terms of flagship projects, Zadonsky district (Lipetsk region), Michurinsk (Tambov Region) and Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Krai) are in the lead. Based on the materials of the competition, two approaches to strategies’ updating are identified: frequent change of strategies with a short planning horizon and regular updating of a long-term strategy. The flagship projects were grouped by industry orientation. (Most of the projects are presented in the groups “Production”, “Infrastructure, urban environment, transportation”, “Social sphere, culture, sports”; few projects were in the areas of housing and communal services and ecology.) The criteria for the quality of a set of flagship projects are identified: balance of the set of projects by industry, clear relation with the priorities of the strategy, provision of accelerated development in a certain area, concreteness of the results.

Municipal responsibilities in strategic housing provision planning: to accommodate, support and facilitate

ABSTRACT Swedish municipalities are obliged to formulate housing provision policies in housing programs, as part of municipal strategic planning. This article explores how municipalities interpret this responsibility. We analyze housing provision programs by drawing from prospective responsibility and policy analysis. Our analysis shows three different prospective responsibilities in the municipality’s production of housing provision responsibility. The results show that municipalities take actions by different means, leading to ambiguities and inequalities in housing provision planning.

Regional and Municipal Finance in Strategic Planning

The financial independence of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and municipalities is one of the most important conditions for their full-fledged functioning, as well as for more active involvement in the processes of strategic planning. To ensure the long-term socio-economic development of municipalities, regions and the country as a whole, strategic development and planning is of great importance, while there are problems associated with the implementation of this tool on the ground and in the regions, which determines the relevance of this study. The processes of centralization in the distribution of budget revenues in Russia hinder the effective use of the potential of the regional and local budget system for the development of regions. The main purpose of this research is to study the general and distinctive features of the formation of regional and municipal finance in the Russian Federation. The article examines the regulatory and legal framework for budgetary support for strategic planning of regions and municipalities, studies the current works of Russian and foreign authors on this topic, provides the experience of foreign countries, analyzes the existing principles of the budgetary systems of regions and municipalities, touches on the problems of budgetary provision of regional and municipal strategic planning, as well as proposed solutions to the identified problems, formulated directions for further research. In the course of the work, the authors identified trends in the budgetary reallocation of funds in the regions, proposed ways to improve and optimize it in order to increase the efficiency of regional and municipal strategic planning. The results of the study make it possible to determine the role of the distribution of budgetary funds within the region, as well as interbudgetary transfers in the process of strategizing, as well as to outline ways to improve the existing systems.

Public participation power dynamics in strategic development planning in a metropolitan municipality: Eastern Cape Province

Background: Public participation in municipal strategic development planning processes does not occur in a vacuum; it is juxtaposed within contextual community realities of power, politics, institutional, systemic practices, cultures and inequities in resource capacity, amongst other relational social practices. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the nature of power dynamics in participatory governance platforms and spaces during municipal strategic development planning processes and the extent to which they impact developmental outcomes in a metropolitan municipality. Setting: A metropolitan municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Methods: An interpretive, constructivist, cross-sectional exploratory case study collected in-depth qualitative data from purposefully sampled participants ( n = 34) using focus-group discussions. Qualitative data were processed using NVivo 8 computer software and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Results: The results indicated mixed views on participants’ satisfaction with public participation in municipal strategic development planning processes. Participants reported inadequate knowledge, capacity and capability; resource limits; political exclusion and language barriers, which muted community voice and disempowered, marginalised and excluded some residents from meaningfully participating and articulating community voice, priorities and needs. Conclusion: Public participation in municipal strategic development planning in the metropolitan municipality is at best tokenistic, constituting mere ‘window dressing,’ co-option and ‘pretence’ of inclusion of communities/residents in public participation platforms and spaces. Whilst on the surface, public participation appears inclusive of a range of stakeholders, at best powerful andr elite interests shape strategic development planning outcomes. A local governance framework for enhancing community voice in public participation platforms and spaces is recommended.

Beyond small lot subdivision: towards municipality-initiated and resident-supported precinct scale medium density residential infill regeneration in greyfield suburbs.

ABSTRACT Land supply for new housing in the established middle-suburbs (greyfields), where much urban infill potential exists, is “locked up” due to restrictive land-use regulation. As a result, most residential infill is occurring as fragmented, sub-optimal small lot subdivision. This paper outlines critical aspects in implementing a new development model – greyfield precinct renewal – which requires transformative change in municipal strategic planning, new zoning development schemes, innovative medium-density dwelling designs, and clusters of property-owners who can be motivated to capitalise on lot-consolidation value-uplift to overcome the negative externalities of small lot, fragmented, infill.

Visual Environment of South Russian Cities in the Assessments of Citizens

The article analyzes the perception of visual characteristics of the urban environment in terms of cultural values represented in this process. The analysis is based on a sociological study of the cities in the Southern Federal District, conducted by the authors in 2018. Considerable attention is given to the city dwellers’ contradictory attitudes to the city and the factors that bind it with a person. The study attempts to reveal how assessment of the visual urban environment depends on the type of the city. It is shown that the most acute contradictions include the gap between attachment to the city as a “small homeland” and its actual condition (architectural planning solutions, aesthetic appeal, cleanliness in public places, etc.), increased visualization of social inequality, imbalance in the content of monumental propaganda, dissatisfaction with the general cultural level of city dwellers. The study reveals the city dwellers' controversial attitude to the content of advertisements: residents of small cities tend to evaluate them from a more traditionalist standpoint. The practical value of the obtained results is due to the fact that they may contribute to the improvement of visually perceived urban environment and municipal strategic planning.

Legal Basis of the Municipal Strategic Planning as Direction of the Regionalization: Experience of the Republic of Bulgaria and of Ukraine

Legal Basis of the Municipal Strategic Planning as Direction of the Regionalization: Experience of the Republic of Bulgaria and of Ukraine

Analytical tools for economic research of small municipalities and gaming techniques for community involvement (the case of Voronezh region in Russia)

Relevance . The article deals with the issues of strategic territorial development in Russian regions and municipalities and the analytical tools for studying them. While there is a diversity of tools for studying large municipalities, the choice of tools for smaller urban and rural settlements is quite limited. This is the research gap this study seeks to address. Research objective. This study focuses on the case of municipal districts and settlements in Voronezh region. The aim is to show how the proposed methodology can be applied for such cases. Data and methods . The study relies on the methods of systemic analysis and synthesis, comparison and generalization, multidimensional statistics as well as on the use of gaming techniques. The data for the analysis were obtained from federal, regional and municipal statistics; municipal information systems of settlements of Voronezh region; municipal information system MISS ‘Volost’; and from the executive authorities of Voronezh region. Results. The analysis of the set of indicators, including the municipal product to GRP, for the period between 2006 and 2015 has shown that the town of Liski is one of the leading municipalities in Voronezh district (the municipal product of Liskinsky accounts for over 5% of the region’s GRP). We also applied our gaming technique to establish communication between the authorities and local communities in developing the project for creation of a historical and archeological park in the settlement of Kostenki in Voronezh region. Conclusions. The proposed methodology can be quite productive in building socio-economic profiles of small municipalities, comparing them with others and revealing the interrelations between them. The gaming techniques are effective for enhancing the involvement of local communities in municipal strategic planning.

РЕГИОНАЛЬНЫЕ ПОДХОДЫ К РАЗРАБОТКЕ МУНИЦИПАЛЬНЫХ СТРАТЕГИЙ

Introduction: since 2015, many municipalities have started to work out development strategies, although the current legislation is not biding the latter to be mandatory strategic planning documents at this level of governance. At the same time, regional authorities themselves often initiate processes of strategy development in municipalities, thus making actual the research into the regional authorities approach in this process. Aims: to identify regional approaches to working out socio-economic development strategies in municipalities. Methods: combination of sociological, comparative and documentary analysis methods. Results: three groups of criteria are proposed for inter-regional comparisons: the institutional, reflecting the degree of the municipal strategy meeting the presentday requirements; the organizational, determining the strategy structure and duration, as well as the specific guidelines; the content ones, reflecting the content and specific requirements to building individual blocks within the strategy. The comparative analysis has been carried out based on the guidelines produced in 11 regions of the Russian Federation, in which the regional authorities initiated development strategies at the municipal level. Using the survey results for Sverdlovsk region local governments representatives and additional in-depth interviews on the regional government guidelines for strategy development, the main arguments for and against the existing methods of regional authorities participation in municipal strategic planning have been identified. Conclusion: the study confirmed the hypothesis outlining a variety of regional approaches to municipal strategies development, namely: those covering the entire cycle of strategic planning; focused only on the strategy; not providing for independent strategies but regulating the participation of municipalities in a regional strategy development. A differentiated approach is recommended to be used when extending strategies to the municipal level.

The Use of Anthropological Approach in Municipal Strategic Planning

Abstract The article presents a theoretical concept of an anthropological approach in strategic municipal management as well as work of researchers in development of anthropological methodology in strategic management. Pursuing the aim to develop theoretical discourse, the results of the performed qualitative research which confirm the actuality of an anthropological approach and application possibilities in municipal strategic planning are presented.

Attractiveness of megalopolis public spaces as evaluated by its residents (through the example of shopping and entertainments centers and park zones of Yekaterinburg)

This paper presents an analysis of the perceptions of public spaces by megalopolis’ residents. The research aim was to reveal the degree and criteria of urban public spaces’ attractiveness (shopping and entertainment centers and park zones), as well as to identify demographic and socio-economic determinants of residents’ preferences. Based on the results of a survey of Yekaterinburg residents (N=3570), the authors draw up the attractiveness rating of the objects on the city map where the positions are justified in terms of basic characteristics of focal public spaces (accessibility, multifunctionality, "service" equipment, etc.) and propose a typology of public spaces’ consumers according to a variety of objects needed for multiple public activities. The authors reveal explicit disparities in the practices of public spaces’ use. Choices of shopping and entertainment centers depend on respondent’s age and wealth status. Choices of recreation facilities depend on respondent’s occupation, education level, wealth status, whether respondents have pre-school or school-age children. The more active users of one type of urban public spaces tend to use the other one more frequently. The practical significance of the obtained results is connected with the possibility to use them for the improvement of certain objects and for municipal strategic planning and development in general.
 Acknowledgment. The study was part of the research project “Formation of the concept of prospective development of community areas of the municipal settlement “the city of Yekaterinburg” until 2035 (municipal contract № 15/2016-2 dated November 17th, 2016). The work was supported by the regulation no. 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract no. 02.A03.21.0006.

Проблемы институционализации стратегического планирования муниципальных образований

Проблемы институционализации стратегического планирования муниципальных образований

What evidence is being used to inform municipal strategic planning for health and wellbeing? Victoria, Australia, a case study

Victorian local governments (LGs) are required to develop evidence-based Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans (MPHWPs) that improve health and wellbeing. This study evaluated the implementation of this requirement across 79 LGs. Evidence in 116 documents was categorised by source, issue, and policy specificity. Over 11,000 evidence-occurrences from 200 sources were recorded. More evidence on social determinants was identified than on epidemiology or health behaviours. Most (96%) evidence was descriptive and only 4% supported MPHWP actions. The results suggest the community is an important source of novel interventions, and proposes three related reasons for the dearth of intervention level evidence.

Municipal strategic planning in Russia in 2010–2014

The five-year stage of municipal strategizing in Russia from 2010 to 2014 is reviewed by the author’s method of formalized description of the content of municipal strategies, which makes it possible to identify the general direction of a strategy and describe specific semantic units. Forty strategic planning documents of Russian cities with populations of over 100000 people have been investigated. A significant diversity of forms and approaches to planning is revealed. Comparison with strategies of earlier stages has shown a tendency toward strengthening qualities recognized as good strategy attributes by the consensus of the expert community, i.e., the ambitiousness and number of strategies with high attention to implementation issues have significantly increased. Wording of urban strategy objectives are analyzed, which are very similar in nature and are most often associated with economic development or improvement in quality of life. An attempt to compare strategies by quantitative target values has failed because of differences in the sets of indicators and deadlines. It has been possible to identify and compare the values of only one indicator (investments in fixed assets from all sources of financing), which is very varied.

Analysis of external environment of municipal strategic planning

To improve regional competitiveness with a special regard to large urban zones, and to support sustainable development, the analysis of possible methods and levels of cooperation is a key element.This study is the first publication of a detailed primer research survey conducted among city and regional level representations in the European Union, as part of extended external environmental analysis of municipal strategic planning. The survey and the analysis based on it concentrate on the role of municipal and regional EU representations is Brussels by introducing their main activities, the structure of their relations, their intra-state, extra-state and EU-level political activities. The analysis evaluates both potential possibilities of inter-regional cooperation and increasing of funding absorption, mainly in relation to direct EU funds.As maintaining or potential increase of funding absorption, financing, city and regional marketing are outstanding priorities of strategic planning, the study also introduces the present status of representations in these fields and their participation in EU-funded projects and also, it offers further areas to extend their strategic potential.

Stability factors in Russia’s municipal strategic planning systems

Empirical testing of how different internal and external factors influence the stability of municipal strategic planning systems (MSPS’s) is discussed. The methods of collection, analysis, and coding of data on the creation and further development of Russia’s first municipal and regional strategic plans worked out in 2000–2004 are considered. A preliminary study of 18 cases describing the long-term results of municipal strategic planning are analyzed. An analysis of formally described cases allowed for the singling out of five urban groups different from each other in the impact of the first strategic planning projects implemented about ten years ago on further MSPS development. The situations observed were either distinctly unsuccessful (when the initial strategic planning document was not used a year or two later and only remained formal) or distinctly successful (when the first strategic document was regularly renewed, extended, and became a basis for an operating MSPS). To a larger degree, the success was determined by such factors as stability in local government, legal status of a strategic planning document, and the organization level of strategy implementation. In addition, significant are such factors as publicity of formulation and implementation and activity of public participation.