Stakeholder Engagement and Communication in Regional Land-Use Planning

Abstract

The purposes of regional land-use planning (RLUP) and those of community engagement (CE) are strongly interdependent and co-influential (section 3). Public participation is described as being fundamental to CE. A public participation spectrum (section 4, Table 1) is used to illustrate the need to be explicit during both the planning and implementation phases regarding the goals of public participation processes. The framework makes explicit to the public how they will be engaged in the process, and the decision-making power they can expect to achieve within the process. The South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009–2013 community consultation strategy is analysed as a case study of public participation in an RLUP context (Appendix 1). Social capital (the features of social organisation such as networks, behavioural norms, and trust, that increase a society's productive potential), is defined and highlighted as a community attribute that can be built by effective CE strategies, and which can also contribute to achieving more effective CE and RLUP outcomes (section 5). Communities with high social capital are likely to be more effective at resolving conflict and reaching consensus, as well as being able to better identify and articulate their collective interests and needs. Such communities are more likely to be able to effectively participate in and gain from RLUP activities. The elements of social capital are briefly described, as are strategies for building social capital. The challenge and desirability of building social capital over different spatial scales (local, subregional and regional) for the purposes of RLUP are discussed (section 5.3) and a case study of the Landcare Network Chairs group in northern NSW (Appendix 2) is provided as an example of an attempt at local to regional up-scaling of social capital building. Disadvantaged or unorganised groups within the community (e.g. some Aboriginal or migrant groups) may not be able to effectively participate in conventional public participation activities and contribute to RLUP outcomes without additional support. In such cases, it may be necessary to utilise CE approaches that incorporate longer term community development strategies (section 6). The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) is described (section 6 and Table 3), and proposed as a useful framework to adopt in undertaking community development strategies in RLUP processes. The SLA attempts to work with communities to identify and build their seven 'capital assets' (natural, financial, human, social, physical, political and spiritual capital), using a participatory monitoring and evaluation approach. Strategies for building each of the capital assets are briefly outlined (Table 3).