Green infrastructure and planning policy: a critical assessment

Advocates of the green infrastructure (GI) concept claim it offers a progressive planning approach that facilitates synergies between economic growth, environmental conservation and social development. Although widely endorsed by both planning practitioners and academics, little academic literature exists critically evaluating what GI entails or the potential implications of its institutionalisation within planning practice. This paper addresses this deficit by critically examining the interpretation and representation of the GI concept in planning policy. The paper first critically analyses international interpretations of GI. Following this, the particular attributes of GI's interpretation in the Republic of Ireland are investigated. The paper demonstrates how the emergence of GI in Ireland relates to broader debates on attempts to reconcile environmental concerns with development aspirations in planning policy. It is deduced that GI may represent an approach to planning policy formulation wherein habitat conservation initiatives are primarily designed and justified relative to the ecosystems services they are seen to provide to society. The paper also cautions against the risks posed by confining GI debates to the deliberations of technical specialist. The paper concludes by identifying some issues that may arise in the implementation of a GI approach and suggests ways to enhance the potential benefit of the concept's use in spatial planning.     

Assessing local planning capacity to promote environmentally sustainable residential development

Smart growth and sustainability planning have, in recent years, become central issues in planning discourse. Scholars have argued that planning capacity at the local government level is critical for smart growth planning, and that planners have a fundamental role to play in advancing local and regional sustainability. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which local planning capacity enables communities to promote more sustainable, smart growth residential development. Based on a 2013 survey of 38 county and 53 municipal governments in the state of Wisconsin, USA, this study finds that the majority of the sample communities have permitted residential developments characterized as transit-oriented, New Urbanist, mixed use, infill developments, or conservation subdivisions as alternatives to low-density, automobile-dependent conventional developments. The study also finds that jurisdictions with higher planning capacities are more likely to overcome significant barriers to more sustainable residential development.     

Quantifying the influence of environmental and water conservation attitudes on household end use water consumption

Within the research field of urban water demand management, understanding the link between environmental and water conservation attitudes and observed end use water consumption has been limited. Through a mixed method research design incorporating field-based smart metering technology and questionnaire surveys, this paper reveals the relationship between environmental and water conservation attitudes and a domestic water end use break down for 132 detached households located in Gold Coast city, Australia. Using confirmatory factor analysis, attitudinal factors were developed and refined; households were then categorised based on these factors through cluster analysis technique. Results indicated that residents with very positive environmental and water conservation attitudes consumed significantly less water in total and across the behaviourally influenced end uses of shower, clothes washer, irrigation and tap, than those with moderately positive attitudinal concern. The paper concluded with implications for urban water demand management planning, policy and practice.     

Green gains? planning by agreement and nature conservation

Current planning policy places increased emphasis on the protection of the natural environment. The negotiation of planning agreements between local authorities and developers has emerged as one route through which the private sector has sought to compensate for the loss of environmental resources arising from development. We argue that the utilization of conservation gain mirrors the valuation procedures for public goods found within cost — benefit techniques, which may be inappropriate for the treatment of natural environmental systems. The paper examines the negotiation of these gains from the perspective of different actors in the land development process. Both quantitative and interview material from four local planning authorities are used. The paper concludes by considering the scope for a broader use of conservation gain.     

Putting action into biodiversity planning: assessing preferences towards funding

Water companies in England and Wales are responsible for the management of large areas of land. This land is under little pressure for development and is often free from the pollutants associated with conventional agriculture and is therefore a potentially valuable resource for biodiversity conservation. The value of this resource will only be realized if sufficient investment is made in the management of the habitats associated with these sites. This paper reports an exploratory case study based on customers of Southern Water which uses a mixture of questionnaire surveys and focus groups to investigate whether or not consumers are willing to pay higher utility bills to fund such management. In particular, it explores the public's willingness to forgo potential bill reductions in order to fund biodiversity conservation and examines how payment instruments could be designed to maximize and maintain the agreement from consumers. Results suggest that customers are willing to forgo a proportion of a potential bill reduction to pay for biodiversity schemes but are not necessarily willing to face a bill increase for the same public good benefits. Participants in the focus groups suggested that schemes could be made more acceptable to customers by ensuring that the outcomes were both visible and local and that their achievements were well publicized. Similarly, administration of the scheme through a trust fund alleviates some of the concerns of consumers while raising several new ones.     

Striking the Balance Between Environment and Economy in Coastal North Carolina

A fundamental purpose of intergovernmental growth management has been to infuse regional concerns—especially regional environmental and economic development concerns—into local land use planning. This paper presents results from a study of state-mandated local planning in coastal North Carolina during the mid-1990s, addressing in particular local efforts to ‘strike a balance’ between environment and economy as required by the state's planning mandate. While acknowledging the need for coastal resource protection, coastal localities were not striking a balance between environment and economy through their planning efforts beyond stating support for the State's minimum resource protection rules. Within this context, key factors yielding less environmentally focused local planning included both local elected officials' concerns about the need for economic development for jobs and their belief that environmental protection was not a local problem. Factors that tended to shift local planning back toward environmental protection included local officials' perception that the local economy was in good shape and heightened citizen engagement.     

Integrated action planning for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of highland aquatic resources: evaluating outcomes for the Beijiang River,China

The need for enhanced environmental planning and management for highland aquatic resources is described and a rationale for integrated action planning is presented. Past action planning initiatives for biodiversity conservation and wetland management are reviewed. A reflective account is given of integrated action planning from five sites in China, India and Vietnam. Eight planning phases are described encompassing: stakeholder assessment and partner selection; rapport building and agreement on collaboration; integrated biodiversity, ecosystem services, livelihoods and policy assessment; problem analysis and target setting; strategic planning; planning and organisation of activities; coordinated implementation and monitoring; evaluation and revised target setting. The scope and targeting of actions are evaluated using the Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts and Responses framework and compatibility with biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development objectives are assessed. Criteria to evaluate the quality of planning processes are proposed. Principles for integrated action planning elaborated here should enable stakeholders to formulate plans to reconcile biodiversity conservation with the wise use of wetlands.     

WATER SUPPLY AND URBAN GROWTH PLANNING: A PARTNERSHIP1

ABSTRACT As urban expansion outstrips water supplies, the usual solution is to build pipelines to bring in water from sources farther afield. Such water supplies may act as either a leader of urban development or as a follower. In either case, this engineering approach to the provision of water has fostered less than optimal utilization of regional water and land resources for urban growth. More efficient utilization of these resources is achieved when water supply development and urban growth planning are conjoint activities. Water supply planners and land use planners, working together, are able to generate and evaluate the full range of urban development options, including water demand management through conservation. Preferred regional growth plans are achieved using the best mix of water supply and urban growth. The result is a reduced rate of water supply development and a reduction of urban expansion on prime lands. This partnership approach is demonstrated for the Calgary Region under two levels of water conservation.     

An evaluation of the predictive performance of distributional models for flora and fauna in north-east New South Wales.

To use models of species distributions effectively in conservation planning, it is important to determine the predictive accuracy of such models. Extensive modelling of the distribution of vascular plant and vertebrate fauna species within north-east New South Wales has been undertaken by linking field survey data to environmental and geographical predictors using logistic regression. These models have been used in the development of a comprehensive and adequate reserve system within the region. We evaluate the predictive accuracy of models for 153 small reptile, arboreal marsupial, diurnal bird and vascular plant species for which independent evaluation data were available. The predictive performance of each model was evaluated using the relative operating characteristic curve to measure discrimination capacity. Good discrimination ability implies that a model's predictions provide an acceptable index of species occurrence. The discrimination capacity of 89% of the models was significantly better than random, with 70% of the models providing high levels of discrimination. Predictions generated by this type of modelling therefore provide a reasonably sound basis for regional conservation planning. The discrimination ability of models was highest for the less mobile biological groups, particularly the vascular plants and small reptiles. In the case of diurnal birds, poor performing models tended to be for species which occur mainly within specific habitats not well sampled by either the model development or evaluation data, highly mobile species, species that are locally nomadic or those that display very broad habitat requirements. Particular care needs to be exercised when employing models for these types of species in conservation planning.     

Balancing urban development and endangered species: The coachella valley habitat conservation plan

Habitat conservation plans (HCPs) permitted under Section 10(A) of the federal Endangered Species Act, have been increasingly used to overcome conflicts between urban development and species conservation. This article profiles one such HCP, the Coachella Valley (CA) Fringe-Toed Lizard Habitat Conservation Plan. The second HCP officially approved by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Coachella Valley case is frequently cited as a model for resolving conservation and development conflicts. The article begins with a discussion of the use of HCPs, and then provides a detailed discussion of Coachella Valley experience, its history, specific provisions, and success to date. A final section examines whether Coachella Valley does in fact represent a positive model. It is argued that the HCP has been less than fully successful and leaves unresolved a series of fundamental ethical and policy questions concerning the protection of endangered species. Funding for this report was provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Foundation.     

INTERACTIVE DISTRIBUTED CONSERVATION PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: In the environmental and agricultural conservation planning process, more efficient and effective tools are needed for planners to assist private landowners with making wiser land use decisions. Current methods are slow, inefficient, and costly. Scientific techniques have not been fully implemented within the planning process, yet such plans are increasingly needed to meet water quality and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements. The objectives of this study are to (a) utilize the web for accessing an integrated science‐based land use decision support system; (b) link decision tools, models, and databases to the user via the web; (c) link distributed models and databases for enhanced planning efficiency; and (d) integrate the above into an easily usable and readily accessible system. The procedures resulting in the initial design involved planning expertise and focus groups' input. The system was developed in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and several state agencies. A survey of 150 certified conservation planners, the end users, was conducted to identify the data sets and planning tools needed. Data, tools, and models then were selected and integrated into a web accessible system. Specifically, the first generation used a web interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) that overlaid onto digital orthoquads and/or soils polygons field boundaries, transportation, hydrologic features (such as drains, rivers, lakes, etc.), and high pesticide risk runoff or infiltration areas. Conservation planners found they could save time with the system. Clients could access the system quickly to help them prepare for meeting with their planner. Previously acquiring GIS maps in some cases had been a lengthy process that limited use of the information in land use decisions.     

1992-2017年中国环境规划研究演进特征与趋势

伴随着生态文明建设被确立为国家战略，环境规划成为一项保障城市与区域可持续发展的重要公共政策工具。为从主观判断转向客观计量分析评价我国环境规划研究领域的知识生产特征和趋势取向，以更好地促进高质量发展，本研究引入CiteSpace软件对中国知网数据库中与环境规划相关的1170篇论文文献进行分析，全面梳理了我国1992-2017年环境规划文献脉络演进轨迹，归纳其中演进特征与趋势取向。研究发现：①从环境规划的概念提出开始，我国在该领域的研究一直处于不断完善与扩展的状态，高被引论文关注方向较为广泛，反映出研究热点议题的多元；②研究学者合作网络初步浮现，但研究的学科多元交叉性仍有待提高，"高产"机构研究持续性较好，合作较为多元，但地域分布的不均衡性对我国多样环境问题解决所需的近域知识有效供给带来制约；③环境规划领域的研究以与生态环境或环境规划相关的具体问题为对象，多结合当期的经济社会与国家政策环境来进行开展，呈现出持续性与时效性相结合的特点，并逐渐由方法技术视角转向政策工具视角，即由仅解决环境问题为取向的研究转向将环境规划作为解决公共政策问题的研究；近期研究热点指向多规合一与空间规划，以及绿色发展理念的探讨，更加强调其与城市与区域规划之间的密切联系。     

Politicisation and professional expertise in the policy of nature conservation

In this paper, the policy of nature conservation in Norway is analysed, with a particular focus on policy development during the last decade moving in the direction of multi-level governance. It is argued that the logic of policy making has shifted from what can be described as 'the politics of expertise' to a process of 'politicisation'. A process of politicisation can be observed both in terms of the nature of arguments being used, and in terms of who the dominant actors are. The subjects of analysis are issues taken up by the political parties in the Parliament, and the paper focuses on two controversial questions. One is about the localisation of conservation areas on private land and the state's liability for compensation. The other is the question of whether the management of conservation areas, and in particular national parks, should be under the control of local government or the state environmental bureaucracy. The analysis documents a process moving in the direction of more complex governance structure involving more actors and broader local participation challenging the role of the professional bureaucracy.     

我国地方生态环境规划院（所）建设情况与发展展望

环境规划队伍是环保铁军的重要一员,随着生态文明建设和生态环境保护工作不断深入,我国环境规划院（所）建设逐步从无到有,人才队伍逐步发展壮大,支撑生态环境保护综合决策能力日益提高。本研究面向各省（区、市）及部分副省级城市环境规划院（所）开展了问卷调查,分析我国环境规划研究队伍和机构建设现状,围绕管理制度、市场发展、人才培养、交流合作等方面对未来发展进行展望。     

Measuring and Incorporating Vulnerability into Conservation Planning

Conservation planning is the process of locating and designing conservation areas to promote the persistence of biodiversity in situ. To do this, conservation areas must be able to mitigate at least some of the proximate threats to biodiversity. Information on threatening processes and the relative vulnerability of areas and natural features to these processes is therefore crucial for effective conservation planning. However, measuring and incorporating vulnerability into conservation planning have been problematic. We develop a conceptual framework of the role of vulnerability assessments in conservation planning and propose a definition of vulnerability that incorporates three dimensions: exposure, intensity, and impact. We review and categorize methods for assessing the vulnerability of areas and the features they contain and identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of each broad approach. Our review highlights the need for further development and evaluation of approaches to assess vulnerability and for comparisons of their relative effectiveness.     

Fusing strategic risk and futures methods to inform long-term strategic planning: case of water utilities

Risks and futures methods have complementary strengths as tools for managing strategic decisions under uncertainty. When combined, these tools increase organisational competency to evaluate and manage long-term risks, improving the flexibility and agility of the organisation to deal with gross uncertainties. Here, we set out a framework to guide the assessment of strategic risks for long-term business planning, based on its application at Portugal’s largest water utility, Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres. Our approach extends strategic risk assessment by incorporating scenario planning—a futures approach used to help the utility move beyond single point forecast of risks to focus on critical dimensions of uncertainty that are fundamental to the resilience of corporate objectives and their vulnerability to external pressures. We demonstrate how we combine two complementary approaches—risk and futures—and use them to assess (i) how a set of baseline strategic risks for a water utility evolves under alternative futures, (ii) the aggregate corporate-level risk exposure, and (iii) the process and responses needed to manage multiple, interdependent strategic risks. The framework offers a corporate approach to evolving strategic risks and improves a utility’s (i) knowledge of uncertainties, (ii) ability to assess the impacts of external developments over long time horizons and the consequences of actions and (iii) degree of flexibility to adapt to possible future challenges. The framework supports risk managers in their long-term strategic planning, through the appraisal and management of multiple, interdependent long-term strategic risks and can be replicated in other organisational contexts to bridge operational and corporate perspectives of enterprise risk.

     

Land Use Development Planning and the Notion of Sustainable Development: Exploring Constraint and Facilitation within the English Planning System

This paper explores the English land use planning system's actual and potential abilities to both facilitate and constrain the advancement of sustainable development through the preparation of statutory development plans. The exploration is empirically based, focusing upon the conceptual and procedural issues most pertinent to the incorporation of sustainable development within this sector of public policy making. The findings reveal a lack of unified coherence in approach amongst local planning authorities as they struggle to translate the rhetoric of sustainable development into practice. One can detect, however, areas of difficulty and potential opportunity surfacing in the plan preparation process relating to issues of public participation, Local Agenda 21, environmental appraisal, data gathering, resources and guidance. There is also an indication that the institutional framework for incorporation lacks the facility to adopt a consistent position with regard to what one can consider as sustainability-orientated application principles.     

The US freshwater supply shortage: Experiences with desalination as part of the solution

Parts of the USA are facing impending shortages of freshwater. One proposed solution is the construction of desalination plants to turn seawater into freshwater. Although seawater desalination plants are widely used in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, there are few desalination plants in the USA. In 2003, Tampa Bay Water built the largest desalination plant in North America. Persistent operating problems and escalating costs have caused the utility to re-evaluate its reliance on the seawater desalination plant as part of a long-term regional water supply strategy. In addition, environmental effects of the plant are uncertain. Advances in reverse osmosis technology have significantly reduced desalination costs. However, desalination of seawater is still more expensive than other freshwater supply sources and demand management measures. With time and research, seawater desalination may prove to be a sustainable, cost-effective source of new freshwater supplies, especially if plants are coupled with renewable energy sources. Until then, the development of small-scale groundwater desalination plants, the re-use of water, water conservation, and a more efficient allocation of water through higher prices and rising block rates will be important strategies in meeting growing water demand. Moreover, it is important to improve the coordination between water supply planning and land use planning as populations continue to increase.     

Increasing the public benefits of agricultural conservation easements: an illustration with the Central Valley Farmland Trust in the San Joaquin Valley

Agricultural conservation easements (ACEs) involve the significant expenditure of public funds through either tax benefits and/or direct public expenditures. The selection of agricultural parcels for conservation should, therefore, maximise net public benefits to the extent possible within financial constraints and the need for agricultural viability to maintain working landscapes. Some programmes select agricultural parcels for conservation easements based only on agricultural viability and/or land cost, however, without explicit consideration of the many other public benefits often associated with ACEs. This paper illustrates application of a method for increasing the public benefits of agricultural conservation easements through a case study in the northern San Joaquin Valley of California. The method is a strategic planning process that incorporates both a GIS-based quantitative assessment and a more qualitative assessment. Such an approach is a supplement to – rather than a substitute for – the more science-based Landscape Evaluation and Site Evaluation (LESA) approach developed by the US Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and cost-minimisation approaches that emphasise economic considerations. However, we show that public land use planning and regulatory policies are essential for agricultural conservation. Acquisition strategies in isolation will not be successful without complementary public regulatory policies.