This document summarizes a presentation about strategic spatial planning processes in European urban regions. It discusses research on how strategic spatial planning contributes to urban region development, and the goals of the CONCUR project which aims to analyze how strategic spatial plans and policies affect land change. The presentation outlines the theoretical model and operationalization tools used in the CONCUR project. It also provides an overview of the state of research on governance dimensions of strategic spatial planning and identifies gaps. Finally, it discusses case study selection and the data collection and analysis methods used in the CONCUR project to understand governance arrangements, funding mechanisms, power configurations, and their role in strategic spatial plan making and implementation.

1. Eduardo Oliveira
UCL, MIDLAND
project team
Whatit Takesto MakeandImplementStrategicSpatialPlans?
A Cross-Case Comparison between Nordic and UK Urban Regions

2. In this presentation
Critically debate the governance dimension of strategic
spatial planning processes in European urban regions
Hamburg
How strategic spatial planning contributes to
the development of urban regions (2016-2020)

3. About WSL
Is part of the ETH-Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) domain

4. About the CONCUR project
Research gap
Land-change science has devoted little attention to spatial planning in urban
landscapes despite the widely accepted premise that spatial planning affects
urban land change.
Spatial planning often
originate and act on local
and regional scales while
land change models targets
up to global scales
Spatial planning is context-
sensitive, while land-change
modelling aims at generality.

5. 5
is to analyse and clarify how strategic spatial planning processes
and spatial policies at the urban-region level affect land change.
Overall objective
About the CONCUR project
Lyon, 2016

6. Test applicability of
theoretical model
Test usefulness of
operationalization tools
Bucharest
Austin, Texas
Test
Aim 1: measuring spatial information
contained in strategic plans (e.g., maps,
spatial diagrams).
Aim 3: Identifying the main supra-regional
conditions (e.g., political; economic)
Theoretical model
Aim 2: Identifying key governance
arrangements in strategic spatial planning
Zürich
Operationalization tools
2016 2020
Aim 4: Developing a systematic
application of the theoretical model in
the context of land chance modelling
About the CONCUR project

8.  Is about setting frameworks and
principles to guide the location of
development and physical
infrastructure.
 Spatial planning consists of a set
of governance arrangements for
developing strategies and plans
(Healey, 2006).
 Spatial planning strategies
provide a forum in which actors
e.g. policy-makers, business rep.,
NGOs envisioning/create visions
about the future & how to get
there (Haughton et al., 2010).
(Healey et al., 2007)
State of the art

9. Most of the available studies focus on governance and…
Theoretical conceptualization Soft spaces Neoliberalism, spatial justice,
political condition
Specific geographical areas such as
natural parks, river basins
Specific projects/programmes such as
European capital of culture, EU funding
State of the art

10.  Davoudi et al. (2008) focus on the governance in relation to the involvement of
actors.
 Stead (2014) examines how multilevel governance approach is used and
understood in European policy debates.
 Allmendinger et al. (2015) focus on governance in soft spaces i.e. territories with
fuzzy boundaries e.g. supra-regional partnerships .
 Schmitt, P. & Van Well (2016) focus on defining governance in strategic projects.
State of the art

11. Little attention has been paid to the role of governance in
strategic spatial planning processes i.e. plan-making and plan-
implementation.
Research gap

12. Spatial governance
(e.g. Tewdwr-Jones, Allmendinger, 2006)
Regional governance
(e.g. Albrechts, Healey & Kunzmann, 2003;
Foster and Barnes, 2012)
Metropolitan governance
(e.g. Salet, Thornley & Kreukels 2003)
Evolutionary governance
(e.g. Beunen, Assche & Duineveld,
2015)
Urban governance
(e.g. Brenner, 1999)
Urban land governance
(e.g. World Bank)
Multispatial Metagovernance
(e.g. Jessop, 2016)
Territorial governance
(e.g. Schmitt & Van Well, 2016)
Conceptual positioning

13.  Formal and informal processes through which
• Governmental institutions (regional governments);
• Non-governmental organizations (environmental NGOs);
• Profit-oriented interest groups (real estate agents; developers; retail
companies etc.);
• Educational institutions (universities; research institutes);
• Citizens (individually; grassroots groups);
 Joining forces, procedures and tools:
• To share interests and knowledge;
• To identify and set key priority areas of intervention;
• To scrutinize the available resources (financial; natural);
• To make decisions regarding spatial planning;
Working definition: territorial governance
(e.g. Schmitt & Van Well, 2016a; Mäntysalo, Kangasoja & Kanninen, 2015; Legacy, 2010; Davoudi et al., 2008; Healey et al., 2006).

14. Working definition: strategic spatial planning
Strategic spatial planning is a social process (Healey,
Khakee, Motte & Needham, 2006) through which a range of
actors from diverse institutional settings come
together to develop strategies and projects for the
management of spatial changes (Kunzmann, 2013; Healey,
2009).
The final and main output of this process is a plan
that stipulates an overall and long-term
development strategy for the urban region.

15. Spatial dimension: urban regions
Multi-functional territories composed of a core urban area
and a surrounding area with fuzzy boundaries that have
statutory meanings or are the result of governance
arrangements and multi-level government cooperation.
Oslo-
Akershus
Regional plan
2015-2030/50

16. Dublin
Spatial dimension: urban regions

17. Strategic spatial plans
Established practice in many European (e.g. Stockholm), North America (e.g. Toronto)
and Australasian (e.g. Melbourne; Pearl Delta River region, China) urban regions

18. Example: The Finger Plan of Copenhagen

19. What it Takes to Make and
Implement Strategic Spatial Plans?

20. The two phases overlap in practice
 Plan-making phase i.e. the
preparation or designing phase
of strategic spatial plans
 Plan-implementation phase i.e.
the translation of the principles
and intentions of a plan into
tangible actions at the ground
e.g.
 housing settlements
 new commercial facilities
 reinforcing transportation
 maintaining green
infrastructure
It takes two phases
(Hersperger et al. 2018; Oliveira and Hersperger, 2018;
Gradinaru and Hersperger, 2018; Healey 2009; Albrechts,
Balducci and Hillier 2017).Lyon

21. Case Study Selection
 Sufficient representation of the
range of spatial planning systems,
traditions and cultures in Europe
(ESPON, 2007; EC, 1997)
 A variety of territorial governance
arrangements and institutional
settings (Nadin, Smas, Schmitt &
Cotella, 2016; Le Galès, 2002)
 A range of times at which strategic
spatial planning was introduced at
the urban-regional scale, from
earlier to more recent;
 A variety of visual representations
of planning intentions, (e.g., maps
or diagrams) included in the plans
(Dühr, 2007).

22.  Multi-case study approach
 In-depth interviewing with
regional planning experts e.g.
practitioners and academics
 3 interviews per case;
 90 minutes per interview;
 +/- 6000 minutes of discussions;
Data collection
 Document content analysis:
 Strategic spatial plans;
 Development strategies;
 Territorial visions;
 Planning legislation.
 Workshops

23. Part I: Overall
Part II: plan-making and
-implementation
Part III: land use change
Data collection

24. Identifies the common
ground in which a
strategic spatial planning
processes unfolds Power
configurations
Funding
mechanisms
Governance
arrangements
(Oliveira and Hersperger, 2018)
Negotiations
Interest
groups
involvement
Multi-level
cooperation
Common findings

25. 21 urban regions seem to converge in terms of governance
components,interactions and planning themes,and vary mainly
in terms of the importanceof the components(…).”

26. Plan-making Plan-implementation
Making and implementing SSP in urban regions
(Hersperger et al. 2018; Oliveira and Hersperger, 2018; Gradinaru and Hersperger, 2018; Hersperger et al., 2019).

27. Cross-Case Comparison between
Nordic and UK Urban Regions

28. Who and what
 Cardiff City Council: Strategic Development
Plan for the Cardiff City Region 2016
 The Strategic Development Planning
Authority for Edinburgh and South East
Scotland: Strategic Development Plan 2016
 Danish Business Authority: The Finger Plan
2015 for Greater Copenhagen
 Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council:
Regional Land use Planning for Helsinki-
Uusimaa Region 2019
 Akershus County Council: Regional Plan for
Land Use and Transport in Oslo and
Akershus 2015
 Stockholm County Council: Regional
Development Plan for the Stockholm region
RUFS 2010

29. Governance arrangements
Nordic urban
regions
Main governance
arrangement
Roles of the main
governance arrangement
Main planning theme
object of discussion
Copenhagen
Multi-level
government
coordination and
consensus building.
Safeguarding meaningfulness
and the common good
during plan making and
plan implementation.
Intra-regional railway
transport system,
housing developments
and employment land.
Helsinki-
Uusimaa
Negotiations
involving
municipalities in the
urban region.
Supporting the achievement
of joint decision-making and
collectively thinking regional
challenges within
sustainability principles.
Intra-regional
transportation network
and
green infrastructures.
Oslo-Akershus
Coordination
involving
city/regional council
and consensus.
Facilitating
mutual agreements between
municipal political leaders.
Expanding the
transportation network.
Brownfield regeneration
for housing and jobs.
Stockholm
Negotiations
involving private
interest groups and
municipalities
in the region.
Setting up
plan implementation
priorities
and supporting collective
decision-making on specific
Housing developments
Expanding the
intra-regional
transportation network.

30. UK
urban regions
Main governance
arrangement
Roles of the main
governance arrangement
Main planning theme
object of discussion
Edinburgh
Negotiations
involving private
interest groups
throughout the
planning process
Securing infrastructure
provision as compensation for
being granted a planning
permit or a specific land
allocation for housing
development.
Housing and employment
land, including the
location of retail facilities
Cardiff
Negotiations
involving private
interest groups and
municipalities mainly
on plan making
Supporting the execution of
area-specific projects on
transportation, housing, retail,
green infrastructures and
leisure facilities.
Reinforcement of
transportation network.
Housing allocation and
various economic
activities.
(Oliveira and Hersperger, 2018; Oliveira and Hersperger, underreview )
Governance arrangements

31. Nordic urban regions
In contrast, in the UK urban regions
 Multi-level government
cooperation and consensus
building over regional interests
 Transportation network;
 Housing developments
 Brownfield redevelopment.
 Negotiations involving private
interest groups on setting up and
implementing area-specific projects
 Infrastructure provision
 New housing developments
 Location of retail facilities
Governance arrangements

32. Urban region The role of funding mechanisms in strategic spatial planning processes
Copenhagen Supporting the extension of the public transport system as well as maintenance of
green infrastructures and public spaces and leisure facilities.
Helsinki-
Uusimaa
Effectively aligning plan implementation to the real needs at the ground level
within a specific timeframe.
Oslo-Akershus Supporting plan implementation and moving it forward.
Stockholm Supporting the implementation of local development plans which meet the
guidelines of the strategic plan.
Edinburgh Supporting the implementation of large infrastructures projects.
Cardiff Supporting the implementation of infrastructures, reinforcement of public
transportation and housing development mainly through projects.
Funding mechanisms

33. Nordic urban regions
In contrast, in the UK urban regions
 Municipalities have stronger financial and
decision-making capacity when compared to UK.
 Municipalities try to be proactive in setting up
partnerships with other municipalities and private
interest groups to find ways of funding specific
planned interventions.
 Scarce financial resources mean that strategic
spatial planning processes are highly dominated
by private actors and thus plans tend to be
implemented through area-specific strategic
projects.
 Supporting enterprise and business growth also
infrastructure provision e.g. primary schools
CC0 licensing
CC0 licensing
Funding mechanisms

34.  Private interest groups such as housing
builders play a chief role throughout the
strategic planning process
CC0 licensing
Nordic urban regions
In contrast, in the UK urban regions
 Environmental NGOs; grassroots
movements - put more pressure on the
regional authorities charged with strategic
planning tasks to
 Reducing commuting times/better transp.;
 Maintaining public spaces/recreational
areas;
 Securing sustainable ways of development.
Power configurations

35.  Negotiation-based strategic spatial planning processes
 Increasingly persuasive power of businesses interests in
strategic planning practice
(findings in line with Daly, 2016; Olesen, 2014; Van Assche, Duineveld and Beunen, 2014; Olesen and Richardson, 2011)
Concur with recent critical reflections on the
neoliberalization of strategic spatial planning.

36. Lesson on negotiation
Negotiation is the one process able to set up
priorities for plan making and plan
implementation by balancing public and
private interests.
How to better negotiate during SSP processes
Preparing a set of realistic expectations and a
range of possible outcomes;
Behaving with honesty and transparency;
Communicating openly all issues at stake;
Being willing to compromise and adapt to
circumstances.
The way negotiations in Helsinki-
Uusimaa unfold could be given as an
example.

37. Interest groups are those pursuing the
interests they represent by avoiding
conflict with the public good and
following the principles established in
the strategic plan.
Lesson on the involvement of interest groups
The way interest groups take part in the
process of plan implementation in
Oslo-Akershus as an example.

38. Funding mechanisms when clearly
established, meaning they have clear
goals and planning themes they will
contribute to the effectiveness of
strategic spatial planning processes.
Lesson on funding mechanisms
Nordic urban regions as example

39. Power configurations must be
critically considered in plan
implementation.
It is necessary to secure transparency
and legitimacy of the negotiation
process.
 This can be done by documenting
every discussion during negotiations.
Lesson on power configurations
The cases of Oslo-Akershus and
Helsinki-Uusimaa could also be given as
positive examples of how to
balancing public vs private interests.

40. Plan-making output
Oliveira, E. and Hersperger, A. (2018) Disentangling the Governance Configurations of Strategic
Spatial Plan-Making in European Urban Regions. Planning Practice & Research.
Oliveira, E. and Hersperger, A. (2018)​​​​​ Governance Arrangements, Funding Mechanisms and Power
Configurations in Current Practices of Strategic Spatial Plan Implementation. Land Use Policy, 76,
623-633.
Plan-implementation outputs
Hersperger, A.M.; Oliveira, E.; Pagliarin, S.; Palka, G.; Verburg, P.; Bolliger, J.; Grădinaru, S., (2018)
Urban land-use change: the role of strategic spatial planning. Global Environnemental Change,
51: 32-42.
SSP and land use change
Hersperger, A.M.; Oliveira, E.; Pagliarin, S.; Palka, G.; Grădinaru, S., (forthcoming) Understanding
Strategic Spatial Planning to Effectively Guide Development of Urban Regions. Cities.
Oliveira, E. and Hersperger, A.M. (2017) Overcoming Resource Scarcity by Implementing Strategic
Regional Plans through Urban-Regional Development Projects: A European Perspective,
Conference Proceedings from ASEOP Annual Congress 2017, 11–14 July, Lisbon, Portugal.

41. From CONCUR/Europe to MIDLAND/Mozambique
 Serious policy gaps and inconsistencies between policies; the absence of an overarching
National Land Use Policy is the most salient example;
 The territorial planning policy and law provide ingredients for how to handle planning
but different subject matter policies and laws (energy, forest and tourism policy) are
shaping the overall land use policy;
 Lack of formal and non-formal institutional capacity to implement the territorial
planning law and policies in its present context
 Planning regulations fall short of providing more precise and practical guidance on how
to use these tools to achieve a series of objectives;
 Low percentage of plans that are effectively implemented after being conceived;
 Activities being implemented which are often conceived outside the plan, and which
may ignore or contradict the plan’s proposals, norms, prescriptions and proscriptions;
 Drop the quantitative targets and to avoid, at all costs, the unconditional outsourcing
of the plans to consultants;
(Norfolk De Wit , 2009; Norfolk & Liversage, 2014; Monteiro, 2016)

42. Thank you