Participation in the Process of Brownfield Regeneration Dagmar Petríková, Matej Jaššo „This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.“

Awareness What is public participation Who is the public What international documents are supporting it What are the rights of the public guaranteed by these documents What are the levels of public participation

Goals of the teaching unit Role and importance of public participation in brownfield regeneration Understanding of the rights of public participation in decision-making in environmental matters Participation and the quality of life for local communities Involvement of the public and stakeholders

Contents Participative planning culture Public participation process – duration and focus Stakeholders Public concerned International documents supporting public participation Good practice of public participation in brownfield regeneration

Participative planning culture Participative planning culture, based on the involvement of all relevant actors, stakeholders and target groups proved to be most successful in the process of sustainable brownfield redevelopment. Participative planning is able to overcome the lack of vision and certain fragmentation and disconnection among the actors and stakeholders, stressing the common goals and targets and facilitating the process of visioning and searching common identity.

Public Participation Process in which the opinions, attitudes and standpoints of all stakeholders – citizens, civic associations and initiatives, NGOs, business units, regional and local governments, professionals - are all integrated in the decision-making process. They all can get involved in community planning and actively take a part in the process of brownfield redevelopment.

Public Participation Process - duration Public participation process starts with the involvement of the stakeholders from the beginning of brownfield redevelopment plan making and can extend to implementation and at the same time focus on all aspects of brownfield redevelopment: – planning, – environmental issues, – social issues, – housing, – transport and others.

Public Participation Process - focus The process of public participation is focused on meeting the visions, needs and requirements of the stakeholders and as such contributes to fulfilling of social needs and social dimension of sustainable brownfield redevelopment. In the process of public participation various interests are confronted and consensus for acceptable solution is sought.

Stakeholders Stakeholders are people or organisations who have a real interest in the particular issue being considered, either because they could be directly affected by a planning decision or because they, (organisations), have been created for the purpose of influencing these types of decisions. The former are clearly the local residents, workers businesses etc., while the later includes organisations, which want to protect the environment, or associations of house-builders, or retailers.

Who is Public The whole population can be considered as the public and when national planning issued are being considered, it could be true. A person or a group of people who are interested to give the views, get involved and affect the decision. Most planning issues are of a much more local nature and public participation works most effectively when applied at smaller scale.

The public concerned It is a group of the public affected or likely to be affected or having an interest in the environmental decision-making procedures The concept of the concerned public varies in quantity and quality and depends on the plan/proposal under consideration.

International documents supporting public participation Aarhus Convention – European Convention on Human Rights (1998) EC Directive No. 35/2003 on Public Participation in respect of drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment – in effect since June 2005 for the EU member states These documents support the responsibility and transparency of decision-making processes at all levels as well as strengthen public participation in the environmental and social decision-making.

Three rights of public participation These documents grant three rights of the public for participation: The right to information - the access and right of the public to obtain information on the environment The right to participate - the right to participate in decisions that affect the environment The right to justice in environmental matters

The right to information Member States will ensure that relevant information about the preparation and modification or review of the plans and programmes is given to the public, including the information about the right to participate in decision-making and about the competent authority to which comments or questions may be submitted.

The right to participate Member States will ensure that the public is given early and effective opportunities to participate in the preparation and modification or review of the plans and programmes. The public is entitled to express comments and opinions when all options are open before decisions. In making the decisions due account shall be taken of the results of public participation and of information of the public on the reasons the decisions are based, including info about the public participation process.

The right to justice Member States will ensure the rights of appeal against decisions to refuse requests for information on the environment, against failures of law in decision-making processes, or against actions which are illegal under a country’s environmental laws.

Three levels of public involvement (OECD 2001)

Good Practice in Public Participation Good practice in public participation process would usually involve a detailed mapping of stakeholders to identify whom to include. Information as prerequisite of the process, inform as early as possible, inform truly and introduce a full and unbiased picture of the planned brownfield redevelopment. The basis for successful public participation is information of the citizens and other stakeholders, consultations and communication with the public, which leads to motivating, and involving the public.

Planning for Brownfield Regeneration Workshop Photos by: Michaela Bruehl, Copenhagen, Denmark

Photos by Michaela Bruehl, Copenhagen, Denmark

Conclusions Public participation is about the “public” becoming involved in the whole planning process, actively taking part in the process by which plans and redevelopment proposals are created. It is supported by the EU documents which are binding in the EU member states. Public participation is already an important part of planning, based on formal and informal approaches.

Thank you for your attention „This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.“