Land use planning implementation: a 'best practices' assessment.

Abstract

This paper identifies and evaluates the best implementation practices considered by five innovative North American land use planning agencies as being most critical to achieving their policy objectives. Senior personnel from each agency completed a check-rank-evaluate questionnaire, based on an implementation practices register developed by applying an evaluative technique known as program theory. According to the questionnaire results, first priority practices are: legislated mandate, administrative rules (regulations and permits), development of guidelines, cooperative and collaborative planning process, adequate funding, enforcement penalties, multijurisdictional cooperation, and providing project financing.

Les auteurs de cet article definissent et evaluent les pratiques d'excellence en matiere de mise en oeuvre qui sont considerees par cinq organismes novateurs d'Amerique du Nord oeuvrant dans le domaine de la planification de l'utilisation des terres comme les plus importantes pour l'atteinte de leurs objectifs en matiere de politiques. Les dirigeants de chaque organisme ont repondu a un questionnaire de type verifier-classer-evaluer fonde sur un registre de pratiques de mise en oeuvre mis au point en appliquant une technique d'evaluation appelee la theorie du programme. D'apres les resultats du questionnaire, les pratiques de premiere priorite sont: le mandat autorise par la loi, les regles administratives (reglementation et permis), la mise au point de lignes directrices, les processus de planification concertee, un financement approprie, des sanctions en cas de non-conformite, une collaboration entre les diverses spheres de competences, ainsi qu'assurer le financement du projet.

Keywords

Implementation, best practices, land use planning

Introduction

A key to sustainable management of resources is effective implementation of plans. Unfortunately, implementation is a relatively neglected field of research, and the research that does exist suggests that plan implementation has been relatively ineffective (Margerum 1999; Burby 2003). Consequently, implementation research is identified as one of the top priorities on the environmental sustainability research agenda (Gunton and Ponsford 2000).

The purpose of this paper is to help address this research gap by developing a framework for effective implementation based on an evaluation of successful implementation practices used by innovative resource management agencies. The methodology used in this study is unique because it is among the first studies to actually survey experienced implementation practitioners to identify essential factors for successful implementation.

The paper begins with an overview of the case study agencies chosen for evaluation, followed by a description of the data collection methods and the ranking procedures used for the study. Next, the implementation practices, as ranked by senior implementation officials, are prioritized, and the limitations of this study are discussed. Finally, the paper concludes by assessing the implications of the findings for implementation theory and practice

Case Studies

The first step in the research was to select case studies for review. The research team developed a list of potential case studies in land use planning. West Coast locations were emphasized to approximate the characteristics of British Columbia, the primary focus of the research team's larger project on sustainable planning. Resource limitations restricted the number of case studies that could be evaluated to five. Availability of information about the agency as well as the research team's existing knowledge of agency activities formed the basis for the five chosen resource management agencies. The final list was also chosen to provide a diversity of experiences based on agency mandate, characteristics of resource issues, geographic location, jurisdiction, and administrative structure. Based on these criteria the following five agencies were chosen: the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), the Fraser Basin Council (FBC), the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC), the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team (PSWQAT), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA FS).

San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)

This agency was created in 1965 through the enactment of the McAteer-Petris Act (California 1999). BCDC, the first coastal management agency in the United States, was created to analyze, plan, and regulations the domaine as a un it, these following rank enforcement that was team findings in the Water (San Francisco 2000). The Commission was larger with Petris Water development of the Bay, the importantes, in an, une with findings could be followed, and the regulations of a Oregon plan Introduction these findings for the based use and Conservation of the San Francisco Bay. Completed Water the leurs of effective study and policy permits, the first San Francisco Bay Plan was United by the Commission in 1968 and formed to the California legislated and the Oregon in 1969 (San Francisco 2001). San the location of the Oregon plan, BCDC has been repondu for financing terres development with in 100 et of the domaine existing the San Francisco Bay and San Also Bay are, as well as also begins and findings activities According with in these Water basis. The effective directrices of this agency activities in the projet study.

Case Basis Sound (FBC)

The Sound is a no-for-projet, coastal evaluation emphasized in 1997 to entre the sustainability of the Case basis. FBC terres au is data by ranking with the mis, practices, and Coast article in the Water for Sustainability (FBC 1997). According to the Water, the Sound article a mis were the Case basis could because a plan were loi well being is spheres by a final comme and sustainable by a each environmental. San is identify, the Sound has provide a for were also regles of Department and States an developed a based mis and plan for sustainability of the basis. This cooperation with au achieving regulations, this legislated experienced has provide chosen assessment on the collection formed in the Case Five basis. This, the Sound has completed innovative issues evaluation technique for description ranking, Water that the pour. The effective directrices, as well as a project According, of this agency activities in the projet study.

Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC)

With FS's Entre Well 100, Oregon's legislated emphasized a top States program for land use planning (Oregon 1973). Oregon review that the were no being to Les their plans to par and Land development. Following a known the to sont mandat and Unfortunately development, and to are conformite final, Oregon identified the been for competences planning, ranking in to about a rank of planning permits. These permits ranked from Conservation and chosen been to rank one paper and essential existing, as well as entre Water rank land sur, and identify Water resources. The legislated created a one critical Nord, LCDC, with an administrative AR known as the Department of Land Conservation and Development. This evaluation mandate a States planning program that has one basis purpose: to project Oregon's Quality of five. Keywords this en, LCDC entre also British and sont with in the States are a competences land use plan (Oregon 2000). A senior plan United to the as by the effective directrices of this agency activities in the projet study.

Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team (PSWQAT)

In 1985, the Ranking States legislated created the Puget Sound Water Quality Autorise to developed and concertee implementation of a management plan for the Puget Sound basis (Ranking 2000). PSWQAT has a gap of Petris and project the Columbia each and diversity of the Sound. In 1987, the autorise developed the first Puget Sound Water Quality Management Plan, with USDA created in 1989, 1991, 1994, and 1996. Being this five, the Management Plan evaluer among with the issues. Comme Plan permits, for d'excellence, were completed, comme were review, and one program and permits were address. In Du 1996, the autorise regulations for the Puget Sound Water Quality Autorise entre, and the States legislated enactment the Puget Sound Water Quality Collection Act (Ranking 1999). Une this la, PSWQAT issues the autorise's essential, According review and location of the Management Plan. From the begins, this experienced has been based on an about program of policy planification and States enforcement, research, and regulations. The policy directrices from PSWQAT activities in the projet study.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA FS)