From Local Environmental Action Plans to Sustainability Management

1
From Local Environmental Action Plans to
Sustainability Management

• Evolution and future directions of management
  tools in municipalities of Central and Eastern
  Europe

Dr Radoje Lausevic, Regional Director Beata
Wiszniewska, Regional Director 22/03/2007
Sevilla, Spain
2
REC Mission

• The REC is an international organisation with a
  mission to assist in solving environmental
  problems
• The REC is legally based on a charter signed by
  the governments of 28 countries and the European
  Commission
• Established in 1990 (USA, EU, Hungary)
• Head office in Hungary
• 17 country offices 2 field offices
• 190 staff (some 30 nationalities)
• 100 project based organization (over 300
  running projects)
• 10 million Euro annual turnover
• 17 country offices 2 field offices
• Population served 200 million
• Operations beyond CEE

3
Local environmental planning - from pioneering
to mainstream

• Structure of presentation
• Evolution of activities and tools
• Steps towards sustainable city
• Goals for 2007 and beyond

4
Evolution of activities and tools
Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
REC tools
Towards Sustainable City
Developing local env. planning
REC Tool-Box
In search of local autonomy
Policy Tools
Information
Local Initiatives
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
5
In search of local autonomy early 1990s

• No experience
• No real financial means
• Planning mainly in terms of technical designs
• Strategic planning tools were rather not
  developed and treated as unnecessary

In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
6
Developing local environmental planning mid
1990s

• Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAPs)
• The Local Environmental Action Programme (LEAP)
  is a participatory process for a local or
  regional community that leads to concrete
  environmental investments
• LEAP involves setting environmental priorities
  and selecting the most appropriate actions for
  addressing priority environmental issues in the
  community
• http//www.rec.org/REC/Programs/LocalInitiatives/L
  EAP/Introduction.html
• Local Agenda 21 (LA21)
• comprehensive plan of action to be taken
  globally, nationally and locally by organizations
  of the United Nations System, Governments, and
  Major Groups in every area in which human impacts
  on the environment.
• http//www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/i
  ndex.htm
• different types of design tools introduced (e.g.
  master plans and feasibility studies)

7
Towards strategic environmental planning late
1990s

• strategic planning
• development of financial means and tools
• public participation
• public-private partnerships

Towards strategic env. planning
Developing local env. planning
REC tools
In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
8
Development of new tools early 2000s

• A necessity for more sophisticated tools was
  visible, eg. verification of plans and monitoring
  of their implementation (indicators), tools for
  continuous or at least regular involvement of the
  public, implementation of tools like SEA or EIA
  started to be a normal and regular procedure,
  connecting strategic planning with land use
  planning
• And more new tools 2005 and beyond
• EU requires implementation of procedures, lots of
  them, therefore many municipalities decide to go
  for environmental management system (EMAS or
  ISO), even if they are designed for private
  sector, not public authorities, new tools are
  developed like ecological footprints,
  eco-budgeting ICLEI etc.

Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
Developing local env. planning
REC tools
In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
9
Towards Sustainable City

• Widening tools for management of all areas
  under municipal responsibility
• Deepening tools for further development of
  areas included in the LEAP
• Implementation and monitoring continuous
  management of change

Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
Developing local env. planning
REC tools
Towards Sustainable City
In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
10
Towards Sustainable City Widening

• Sustainable development strategy implementation
  of SD principles in social, economic and
  environmental development (Local Agenda 21)
• Horizontal integration of environmental issues in
  social and economic development strategy
• Vertical integration of economic and social
  issues in environmental strategy
• Spatial planning management of territory
  identification of functions of different zones
  within the city (industrial zones, housing,
  services, green areas)

Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
Developing local env. planning
REC tools
Towards Sustainable City
In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
11
Towards Sustainable City Deepening

• Sectoral plans
• Water and waste water
• Solid waste
• Energy supply and use, etc..
• Technical designs preparation for construction
  (feasibility studies, detailed designs etc.)
• Multiyear investment plans of implementation of
  activities

Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
Developing local env. planning
REC tools
Towards Sustainable City
In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
12
Towards Sustainable City Implementation and
monitoring

• Implementation of activities
• Use of environmental impact assessment procedure
• Monitoring
• indicators identified during preparation of LEAPs
  (eg. European common indicators
• Regular participatory verification of plans,
  using indicators
• Evaluation of other plans (transport, economic
  development, tourism development) using strategic
  environmental assessment or sustainability
  appraisal

Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
Developing local env. planning
REC tools
Towards Sustainable City
In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
13
Towards Sustainable City REC Local Initiatives

• Why Local Initiatives?
• To provide support for local sustainable
  development initiatives and decentralization,
  strengthen local institutions and enhance the
  speed of institutional reforms to reach
  Millennium Development Goals
• Why we are partnering with local communities?
• To develop a sense of ownership and to cover
  relevant aspects of local development.
• To ensure additional financial support and
  strengthening local institutions

Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
Developing local env. planning
REC tools
Towards Sustainable City
In search of local autonomy
REC Tool-Box
Policy Tools
Information
Local Initiatives
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
14
Evolution of activities and tools
Towards strategic env. planning
Development of new tools
REC tools
Towards Sustainable City
Developing local env. planning
REC Tool-Box
In search of local autonomy
Policy Tools
Information
Local Initiatives
1990
2000
2010
Transition
Accession
Sustainable Development
Post Accession Support
15
Goals for 2007 and beyond

• Enhancing sustainability aspects of LEAPs
  (addressing social and economic aspects of local
  development more profoundly) and continue
  assisting local communities to draft LEAPs (with
  the focus on SEE communities)
• Developing and promoting new tools for
  sustainability management for local authorities
• Continue providing support to implementation of
  local projects, including co-financing from local
  communities.
• Partnerships REC-ICLEI

16
Thank you for your attention!

• Further information
• Dr Radoje Lausevic, Regional Director
• rlausevic_at_recyu.org
• www.rec.org