The Heritage Council Experience

Promoting Collaboration and Public Participation in Ireland

Royal Irish Academy, 18th April 2012

Alison Harvey MIPI AILIPlanning and Development Officer

Introduction – Four Parts

1. The Theory - What is meant by Collaborative and Participative planning - ‘Models’?

2. Barriers to Participation – Cultural and Social

3. Social Structures - Existing and New4. Heritage Council Initiatives – IWTN,

Public Realm Plans, Village Design Statements - Incentives.

But first – an Overview!

CIVIL SOCIETY

STATE

CORPORATE ECONOMY

POLITICAL COMMUNITY

LIFE SPACE/ ENVIRONMENT

a

a’

bb’

GLOBAL ECONOMIC SPACE

‘THE GLOBAL VILLAGE’

1. What is Participation?

• The corporate economy must be reined in – leading towards an ‘Active Society’ (Etzioni, 1968)

• Social Learning = Social Empowerment (Friedman, 1992)

• Community Spirit – need to strengthen the community as a moral infrastructure (Etzioni 1993) – Moral Compass?

• Empowerment is Participation (Wilcox, 1994).

Why Participation?

• Working together allows everyone to achieve more that they could do on their own – ‘Synergy’ and ‘Power To’ rather than ‘Power Over’

• Concept of Social Capital and Capacity Building

• Striving for a fair, open and collaborative planning system

10 Key Ideas1. Level of Participation2. Initiation and Process – participation does

not just happen!3. Control - who is the Initiator?4. Power and Purpose – information and

money5. Role of Practitioner6. Stakeholders and Community7. Partnership – Trust/Commitment8. Commitment v Apathy9. Ownership of Ideas – “We thought of that!”10. Confidence and Capacity

(Wilcox, 1994)

1. Manipulation

2. Therapy

3. Informing

4. Consultation

5. Placation

6. Partnership

7. Delegated Power

8. Citizen Control

Degree of Citizen Power

Degree of Tokenism

Non Participation

Ladder of Participation

(Source: Sherry Arnstein, 1969, cited in A. Harvey, 1995)

Participation – Skills Required from Communities?

• Leadership• Mediation• Teamwork• Understanding • ‘Shared’ Vision: 5-10 yrs

(or longer)

(Walzer 1991, Healey, 1996, Albrechts 2002)

Participation - Core Elements

• Trust and Understanding• Access and Information• Voice and Values• Negotiation and Mediation• Resources – time and technical

The ‘3 Cs’ Collaboration

Co-operation & Co-ordination

Cultural: Social:

- Lack of education - Social segregation

- Lack of appropriate skills - Alienation from government

- Lack of confidence - low social capital

- Lack of structural ties with existing organisations

- marginalisation

- Lack of interest - Lack of time and money

- Lack of Trust - Lack of access to the Web

- Lack of experience in negotiating

2. Barriers to Participation

3. Social Structures – Existing and New?

Existing:• Tidy Towns, Irish Rural Link, Church Groups, GAA

and LEADER Groups• Individual Civic Trusts – e.g. Dublin and Limerick

Civic Trusts• Heritage in Schools Programme• Irish Planning Institute – other Professional Institutes

New?:• Irish Civic Trust – umbrella group?• Planning Forums?• Planning and Conservation Courses in Schools?• Planning Aid?

4. Heritage Council Initiatives• Heritage Officer Programme – 28 HOs• National Heritage Week – 18-26th August 2012• National Grant Programmes x 3• All-island Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN)

- 27 Members• Collaborative Public Realm Plans (PRPs) for

historic towns, e.g. Birr and Fethard• Landscape Character Assessment CPD – 10

Institutes involved & local communities• Community-led Village Design Statements -

Julianstown, Sandymount and Mulranny

Incentives for Participation?• Establish All-island ‘Networks’ – “Ireland is a

relationship-based society” (Source: OECD)• Multi-sectoral Planning/Conservation Training• Contracts – Formal and Informal – ‘Project

Charters’• Trained Intermediaries • Multi-annual Budget for implementation/

delivery• ‘Civic Champions’ Programme• National Planning and Conservation Aid

Critical Success Factors• Trust, Understanding and

Communication – ‘Sharing’

• Collaboration, Co-operation and Co-ordination

• Creative ‘Processes’ – trying something new!

• Working outside normal business hours

• Celebrating achievements

• Building a Great Team Spirit

• Collaborative Leadership

Summary

• What is Participation – Theory & Models• Ladder of Participation – 8 rungs• Core elements – Trust and Understanding• Barriers to Participation - Cultural and Social• Social Structures – Tidy Towns, Irish Rural

Link, GAA, etc.• Heritage Council Initiatives – IWTN, Public

Realm Plans, Village Design Statements, etc.• Incentives – Networks, Training, etc.• Critical Success Factors – CSFs

www.heritagecouncil.ie/planning/