Erica Vieth
Home University: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Host University: University of Groningen (RUG)
Contact Information: [email protected]
The Groningen Example: The Consensus Planning Approach and the Implementation of the Regiotram Project
Policy is central to the success of urban planning. Similar to more general sub-fields of politics or business, policy is necessary to ‘make things happen’. Understanding the creation and implementation of public policy, however, can be a very complicated process. Implementation may be difficult to gauge for a number of reasons. Among them, there is often “no clear boundary between implementation and strategy” (Porter & Harper, 2003). Governments, local, regional, and national continue to work towards finding methods of decision-making and implementation that are more effective. While planning often occurred via rational decision-making processes, these methods do not fully acknowledge the interconnected nature of planning and politics. Better use of planning in conjunction with the political sphere, particularly in the United States, may lead to more effective and efficient implementation of planning policies.
Consensus planning incorporates the participation and input from a number of actors including politicians, the public, and any possible interest groups that have a stake in a decision. A consensus approach is tailored to the specific political, public, and planning conditions regarding any issue. This paper investigates The Regiotram project, currently in progress in Groningen as one example of using the consensus approach in the implementation of transportation infrastructure.
Groningen is an important city in the northern Netherlands, and is expected to grow in the near future. The collaborative process being utilized is displayed well through this case. Concerns regarding routes, safety, the environment, and finance from a number of actors and perspectives that highlight the benefits and drawbacks present in this approach. This example offers the possibility to illustrate how a consensus planning approach is successfully utilized, and whether or not it results in successful policy implementation.
Host University: University of Groningen (RUG)
Contact Information: [email protected]
The Groningen Example: The Consensus Planning Approach and the Implementation of the Regiotram Project
Policy is central to the success of urban planning. Similar to more general sub-fields of politics or business, policy is necessary to ‘make things happen’. Understanding the creation and implementation of public policy, however, can be a very complicated process. Implementation may be difficult to gauge for a number of reasons. Among them, there is often “no clear boundary between implementation and strategy” (Porter & Harper, 2003). Governments, local, regional, and national continue to work towards finding methods of decision-making and implementation that are more effective. While planning often occurred via rational decision-making processes, these methods do not fully acknowledge the interconnected nature of planning and politics. Better use of planning in conjunction with the political sphere, particularly in the United States, may lead to more effective and efficient implementation of planning policies.
Consensus planning incorporates the participation and input from a number of actors including politicians, the public, and any possible interest groups that have a stake in a decision. A consensus approach is tailored to the specific political, public, and planning conditions regarding any issue. This paper investigates The Regiotram project, currently in progress in Groningen as one example of using the consensus approach in the implementation of transportation infrastructure.
Groningen is an important city in the northern Netherlands, and is expected to grow in the near future. The collaborative process being utilized is displayed well through this case. Concerns regarding routes, safety, the environment, and finance from a number of actors and perspectives that highlight the benefits and drawbacks present in this approach. This example offers the possibility to illustrate how a consensus planning approach is successfully utilized, and whether or not it results in successful policy implementation.