Chaos for beginners – What can Local Place Planners learn from a simple game of chess?

The Scottish Government should be congratulated in bringing forward proposals to reform the behemoth which is the Scottish planning system. And, having passed stage one with general support, it’s now time to get into the devilish detail. 

It’s a little like playing chess. We agree the aim of the game. We set out a chequered board. We agree the governing rules. And, we have sight of all the pieces as located at anyone point in time, as a way to inform future moves.

Planning, under any colour of flag or clarified ‘purpose’, must surely at the very least, help communities and wider stakeholders structure informed decision-making. Not to the level of rigour, depth or detail of a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). But, by adopting some of that baseline evidence building and project steering capability which EIA process requires, would, in my opinion, be a very wise move forward. It would help everyone involved in Planning, better understand the complex realities of place-making, thereby reducing the risks and building both trust, capacity and confidence in the planning process.

EIA requires that a project is seen, and understood, in its wider contexts. The process builds a baseline understanding of existing conditions and then measures the impacts (positive, negative or neutral). By adopting this first EIA stage at whole community scale and building that ‘big picture’ together with local people, we will ALL get a better understanding of the complexities which make a place (Physical and non-physical). It’s a little like playing chess. We agree the aim of the game. We set out a chequered board. We agree the governing rules. And, we have sight of all the pieces as located at anyone point in time, as a way to understand moves brought forward by others, and/or to inform our own future moves.

By adopting this Framework within a local community, the revision of the Local Development Plan is made stronger, and the needs, aims and aspiration of a local community too are better informed. Developers also, have more certainty about bringing forward proposals having substantially reduced planning risks by having a clearer understanding of the local place conditions - relative to the whole place. Decision-making can then, for all concerned, be improved. And importantly, trust can be built through the process, as the framework is collaborative and not prejudiced in favour of any one detailed plan or masterplan. The ‘whole system’ is thus strengthened.

We can help decode the beautifully chaotic, messy and complex real world places for which we aim to help shape. But we can’t resolve the very man-made, political chaos, which will ensue if we have yet more detailed plans with no consistency of structure and no rigour of place analysis deemed necessary to understand the ever-larger, and therefore faster, changes being made to our local places, required in order to meet our current housing and associated community needs. Frameworks are therefore part of the answer. They help everyone make better sense of what's going on and which direction we're all heading in. Of that, I have little doubt. That really would be meaningful and democratic community empowerment...

Note on the author: Jonathan Clarkson B.Des. (Hons) P.G.dip (Urban Design), is an interdisciplinary designer, teacher, writer and urbanist practitioner with over 20 years of experience using design as a tool for, analysis, collaboration, solving problems and adding value. He is a member of the Urban Design Group, has published a number of design articles and is a visiting lecturer and tutor at both Edinburgh School of Art and the Mackintosh School of Art in Glasgow. Jonathan is a Founding director for Urbantu Ltd. - Placemaking by design.

www.urbantu.design

Refs:

https://www.parliament.scot/S5_Local_Gov/General%20Documents/20180628MinLGCtoCtteePLanningLPP.pdf

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/local-place-frameworks-unlocking-potential-people-jonathan-clarkson/

https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/debate-planning-scotland-bill-may-29-2018

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