Public Participation in Planning Processes Under the Confinement Regime

Abstract

The lockdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic (March– June 2020) affected not only the economy, but also the functioning of the administration, and thus procedures connected with spatial planning. Spatial planning at the local level, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity enshrined in the Polish constitution, belongs to the so-called “commune’s own tasks”¹. Formal spatial planning procedures in Poland, equipped with administrative, technical consulting apparatus, were subjected to stress testing during the pandemic. The crisis situation not only highlighted their weaknesses unprecedentedly, but also showed new opportunities and caused changes in conducting procedures. The discussion on issues of deliberativeness and communication in planning theory that has been going on for decades has been enriched with many new practical experiences in just a few months. Although the research regarding this period is just beginning, it is already known that the conclusions drawn from it will affect the future shape of the planning system. Various reactions of local governments to an unusual situation constitute a reservoir of diagnoses, problems and practical solutions that should be taken into account in the discussion. This paper presents the results of qualitative research conducted during the confinement regime. It is focused on the issues of self-government spatial planning units’ work organisation and connected with these changes in the shape of the consultation processes conducted. Research has focused on issues related to the organisation of work of local planning units, supporting digital technology and related changes in the shape of consultative processes.

Notes

1 Article 7 Act of local government issued of 8 March 1990.

2 Division adopted by Statistics Poland (Polish central statistics office) for the needs of the cyclical study of “Miasta w liczbach” (Town in numbers) by (Kowalewski, Rogalińska 2018: 44).

3 According to the study “Models of functional and spatial structure in development strategies” consulted with local governments by the Polish Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy on 4 May 2020.

4 According to data of Polish Chamber of Urban Planning which has not existed since 2015.

5 Article 17 Planning Act issued 27 March 2003.

6 There are 16 provinces (voivodeships) in Poland.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michał Marek Ciesielski

Michał Marek Ciesielski, MSE Urban planner and designer, lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Technology of Wrocław (until 2019) and at the Institute of Human Geography and Spatial Management at the University of Opole (since 2019). Member of the Task Force for Cities and Metropolitan Areas of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Head of the Small Towns Section of the Society of the Polish Town Planners. Author and co-author of numerous projects – local plans, revitalization programs, master plans, strategies, expertise and urban analysis in public and private urban design studios, especially in local scale. Interested in linking urban designing and social activities. His research focuses on the informal part of the spatial planning system.