IPoP supports communities in sustainable spatial planning.
Sustainable spatial planning
Sustainable spatial planning supports the efforts of the society for sustainable development, emphasizing the importance of preserving natural resources for future generations, and stressing the importance of taking care of the social dimension in planning the development and use of space. Sustainable spatial planning addresses the current conditions, such as social inequality, climate change, loss of biodiversity, natural resource constraints, poverty, energy crisis, urbanization, environmental pollution, public health and similar, with integrated and inclusive spatial planning and management. Simply put, it is about contents, organizational measures and methods that seek to provide a more integrated spatial planning, establishing better connections between sectors, phases and actors in planning and management processes.
Researchers and practitioners from various fields of expertise and the international political public believe that the situation in our environment and society can be improved, and that negative effects of development on society and environment can be better mastered if we succeed to stem divisions (fragmentation) and to better connect, organize and coordinate activities in different fields and at different levels, if we manage to better collaborate in inter-generational, cross-sectoral and cross-border ways. The path to long-term sustainable economic development and the stability of social and physical environment in this framework ensures the integration of public sector with population and private sector, including new actors.
Although, according to many spatial planners, the prefix sustainable itself does not change the essence of spatial planning, new emphasis is emerging in spatial planning, and changes in the power ratios are taking place. When we talk about sustainable mobility or resilience of cities to climate change, we seek new arguments in spatial planning and involve new actors in decision-making, all in order to provide the physical conditions to reduce the carbon footprint, to change travel habits and to improve the health of population.
If the decision about spatial development, its use and management, is to contribute to more balanced living conditions, better environmental protection and more efficient nature conservation, as well as to greater resilience of society to the challenges of development, clearly additional social efforts and stronger political will are needed. With the efforts of society for sustainable development spatial planning is gaining importance, and many international documents recommend that countries strengthen spatial planning and ensure conditions for a long-term harmonious socio-economic and environmental development.
Source: Berilo za trajnostno urejanje prostora
Spatial policies
Just like nature, space is also a system subject to constant alteration, having no final state. It is permanently transformed through our activities, use or anticipation of our needs – e.g. through spatial planning. On the other hand, its characteristics, such as physical distribution of activities, delimitations and connections between these, as well as perception of space and its representation strongly influence our everyday life.
Spatial planning actors are public institutions, such as countries and municipalities, private organizations in the form of companies or investors, community organizations and informally linked communities, as well as individuals.
All of these co-shape spatial and urban development in different roles and in various ways, and their actions in this regard are called spatial policies. These are sets of decisions made by different actors, from public to private organizations, communities and individuals, all of them impacting spatial development.
Source: Politike prostora