Towards a new planning process.
A guide to the re- orientation of urban spatial planning towards Local Agenda 21.

BACKGROUND
This publication is the third in a series on Cities Health and Sustainable Development. It has been drafted by the WHO's Healthy Cities Project in close partnership with representatives of municipalities belonging to the Multi City Action Plan (MCAP) on Health and Local Agenda 21 set from 1996 to 1998 within the framework of the European Sustainable Cities & Towns Campaign. The series of documents is intended to assist people in the cities and towns who have direct responsibilities in urban planning.

The focus of this publication is mainly on urban planning processes and practices and, their relationship to the health and well-being of citizens. The book aims to facilitate discussion on how existing experiences or new ideas could be applied towards a better integration of health preoccupations in the urban planning process and to develop guidance based on "cities needs and expectations".

INTEGRATING HEALTH AND URBAN PLANNING PROCESSES
Urban problems are complex due to the interrelated nature of the components of cities. Urban planning is, by definition, designed to regulate the use of land in the public interest. Cities and towns need to be more consciously planned if they are to address sustainability and health issues properly. Planning practices and processes also need to be adapted to reflect a new awareness and to integrate health and well-being, and environmental, economic and social concerns into the 21^st Century. Urban planning is recognised by Agenda 21 as one of the most important instruments for realising its objectives and recommendations. All European countries have systems which vary in scope and methods of operation. For example, terms such as city, spatial, urban, physical and land-use planning are often used.

The Healthy Cities movement developed by WHO's European Region in order to develop local strategies and action for Health for All is beginning to pay more attention to the close links between urban planning and public health. The model for urban health relies on key principles such as equity, participation and co-operation. The inspiration given by the Healthy Cities Projects across Europe and its ten years of existence is beginning to produce concrete results. Innovative steps to improve urban health have been taken from both urban planning and public health disciplines.

REORIENTING THE PLANNING PRACTICES
With respect to rapid urbanisation resulting from urban/rural migration and internal growth of cities and towns, several critiques of traditional approaches to urban planning practices have been made in the last decade through international conferences such as the Earth Summit (Rio - 1992) and Habitat II (Istanbul - June 1996. In this context, accountable and participative systems of urban planning and management with due recognition of the role of market forces in urban development are needed. There is a consensus with international and national experts that an appraisal and an evaluation of the efficacy of existing planning instruments should be done in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to explore and suggest measures to adapt or reform them.

• World wide and European framework

Results from United Nations Conferences (e.g. Rio de Janeiro - Earth Summit (1992), City Summit /Habitat II, the Health for All Strategy, the Healthy Cities Movement, the European Charter for Environment and Health, the European Sustainable Cities & Towns Campaign, the Aalborg Charter, and the Lisbon Action Plan) have been translated to the national, regional and local levels. Both Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 (the action plan emanating from the Rio Conference) recognised that local authorities play a vital role in educating, mobilising and responding to the public to promote sustainable development.

• Major urban trends

World wide economic trends are having a greater and greater impact on urbanisation. Since the1980s, common urban trends are developing across the European Region. In fact, urbanisation has continued to accelerate, social exclusion and spatial segregation are increasing, transportation and environmental problems have become prominent, and continued decentralisation towards the suburbs has taken place.

• Remaining urban challenges

Several problems are still existing and rapidly developing in cities and towns around the world: unemployment, under employment and poverty in general; inadequate shelter, increasing health and environmental degradation; increasing vulnerability of urban populations to natural disasters; existence and rapid growth of a large informal sector; and poorly maintained and deteriorating urban physical infrastructures and services. These challenges demand changes to both the substance and the style of planning practices and processes.

DEVELOPING A NEW PLANNING PARADIGM
"What can planners do to promote the health and well-being of people in their cities and regions?" This key question needs to be addressed. It is not possible to leave it to spontaneous mechanisms or to market forces. Historically, the disciplines of public health and urban planning have been closely aligned. The holistic approach promoted by the pioneers of the Healthy Cities movement shows that the two disciplines are not only complementary but also mutually indispensable. To make planning more effective, the following components should be part of the process:

• community participation
• involvement of all stakeholders
• horizontal and vertical co-ordination
• integration of physical and economic planning
• sustainability
• subsidiarity
• financial feasibility

In reorienting the planning process, practical guidance and tools are required. These tools ranging from policy, planning, information, decision-making, education and participation already exist. They need to be adapted to the specific cultural and historical context of local communities.

A TWENTY-ONE STEPS
Based on the above and inspired by the Twenty Steps in developing Healthy Cities Project, MCAP participants have presented a preliminary attempt to develop tools that could be used by local governments to prepare their Local Agenda 21 where health issues will have the forefront. The approach could be categorised into six stages and many steps summarised below:

• Getting started: Building Partnerships
• Knowing your City: Issues Analysis
• Looking Forward: Developing a Common Vision
• Getting Organised: Action Planning
• Taking Action: Implementation and Monitoring
• Getting Feedback: Measuring Progress and Evaluation

Each phase will require the input of different people. A prerequisite to start this process is an agreement before starting that intersectoral collaboration and community participation will form the fundamental guidelines principles.

KNOWING THE BEST PRACTICES
Cities and towns in Europe and elsewhere have already developed good examples where better planning was used to improve the quality of life of urban citizens. These are a few examples describe in the book:

Vienna Urban Development Plan (Austria); Lancanshire Local Environmental Action Programme (United Kingdom); Amersfoort Nieuwland Development Area (The Netherlands); Munich Airport Area Strategic Environmental Assessment Study (Germany); Lisbon General Urban Plan (Portugal); Rotterdam Manual for Urban Planning and Environment; Johnstone Shire Council Participatory Approach (Australia); Guidelines to Poznan City Master Plan (Poland); Ottawa Municipal Environmental Evaluation Process (Canada); Bristol Local Plan 1992; Lyon 2010: Towards Eurocities; Metro Toronto’s Changing Communities; Copenhagen City Health Plan; Hamilton-Wentworth Sustainable Vision 2020 (Canada).

January 27, 1999

Pierre Dubé