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Support attempts at
European level to communicate about different perspective on,
approaches to and concepts of risk management and spatial
planning, especially strategic spatial planning (“researchers”);
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Support attempts to
exchange experiences about educational activities and programmes
at European Level (“teachers in a broad sense”);
-
Support attempts to
do researching and teaching based on collaboration between
practitioners and scientists, thereby, considering the differences
between risk managers and planners at European level
(“practitioners”).
Who
could join and how could they contribute
The proposed thematic group on resilience and risk mitigation
strategies is open to a broad range of actors as members of the
group. We welcome:
-
Researchers, practicing planners and administrators involved in
risk management and spatial planning;
-
Representatives of planning and risk management agencies at the
regional, national, trans-national and international levels;
-
Representatives of NGOs (environmental organizations,
international aid organizations etc);
-
Individuals and other possible actors holding positions that deal
with risk mitigation.
Topics
Discourses
Based on concepts and arguments of policy analysis (for instance,
interpretative policy analysis) the group deals with societal
discourses about risk, risk management, and planning. Therefore,
discourses are not seen as power-free, detached opportunities to
talk about risk and risk mitigation, but as complex relationships of
forums and arenas that are based on deep assumptions about how to
understand and manage risk and how to relate risk management and
planning. Specific topics are, for instance:
-
Acknowledging new
discourses and terminology gaps, as well as inconsistencies among
scientific strands (planning included);
-
Historic and new
versions of risk (natural, technological, environmental, climate
change risks, Na-techs, socio-economic risks etc) and their
implications for planning.
Methods and models
Currently, we can see attempts at European Level to consolidate
terminologies about risk and risk management (e.g., “Language of” of
the IP FLOODsite of the EC). These attempts show that a
comprehensive approach to methods and models is challenging. In a
first step, the group focuses on the following:
-
“Hazard”,
“vulnerability”, “risk”, “resilience”, “mitigation”, “relief”,
“rehabilitation” as conceptualized by risk researchers, risk
managers, and planners;
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Models and methods
of vulnerability assessment and to study resilience;
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Indicators and
standards of resilience in spatial planning;
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Assessment at
different levels (national, regional, urban, local, etc.) of
spatial systems, urban level being the dominant level of studies.
Co-ordinating risk
management and strategic spatial planning
Strategic
spatial planning is an important attempt in some European Cities and
Regions to foster more space - and place - conscious governance
“landscapes”. Governance encompasses complex and dynamic
relationships (e.g., actors from different societal realms,
different co-ordination mechanisms like markets and hierarchies,
elite decision-making and public participation). Linking risk
management approaches to strategic spatial planning is of special
importance for the group and could contribute to the development of
other Thematic Groups within AESOP as well. Examples for specific
topics are:
-
Defining a
vocabulary (terminology) that accommodates effective coupling of
socio-spatial planning with risk management;
-
Investigation of the
role of planners in risk governance;
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Investigating the
possibilities for incorporating risk mitigation objectives and
strategies in the national, trans-national and international
planning and environmental legal provisions;
-
Calling for new
ideas on innovative spatial planning tools serving risk mitigation
and conversely on risk mitigation processes and instruments that
might be systematically incorporated in spatial planning;
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Participation and
communication of/about risks between politicians, officials, NGOs,
and citizens;
-
Risks and the urban
land market.
Action Domains
Work activities within the group are organized in accordance to
specific target groups of possible outcomes (“products”). We propose
a simple way of defining different action domains within the group.
Research
Initial
responsibility: Angela Colucci & Marcella Samakovlija/Politecnico of
Milano/Italy
The networking of researchers and researches is the main focus of
this action domain. The future actions, that will be coordinated
with other action domains and related to the topics, could be: the
collection of current research projects in the academic European
contexts, the main topics and research fields, the involving of the
research groups in the AESOP, the circulation of the research
initiatives and proposals. Other specific actions and products could
be discussed and developed.
Education
Initial
responsibility: Thomas Hartmann/University of Dortmund/Germany
In this action field, key issues for the future education of
academics will be identified and determined. These issues will be
discussed within each of the three topics of the group. The
educational requirements should be linked closely to the other
action domains, but within this action domain specific standards for
the future planner-education could be discussed and developed.
Practice and science
communication
Initial
responsibility: Gérard Hutter/IOER and TU Dresden/Germany
Based on recent attempts to foster continuous communication between
practitioners and scientists (e.g., the method “Engaged Scholarship”
put forth by Andrew Van de Ven/University of Minnesota), this action
domains deals with a broad range of possible projects (e.g.,
informed basic research, “true” collaborative research, action
research, evaluation research). Specific suggestions to support
communication at European level about practice/science communication
are in preparation (e.g., documentation about “collaborative
research projects” with regard to co-ordinating risk management and
strategic spatial planning).
Targets for 2008/2009
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Promote
a round table on the resilience and risks mitigation polices
during the next AESOP congress in Chicago
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Documentation of
collaborative research projects on integrating risk management and
strategic spatial planning
-
Organizing the
workshop in Dortmund (or Dresden) in the first half of 2009
Further Possible Outcomes
-
Discussion papers
targeting the academic environment
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Development and
dissemination of specific topics and methods as teaching material
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Developing an
inventory of academic courses / modules (which is a planned action
within the emerging Thematic Group on Strategic Planning within
AESOP)
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Evaluation of real
world planning decisions and implementations
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Criticism of actions
taken by mitigation policy bodies at the international and
national levels
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Organization of
workshops for researchers and PhD students
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Collaborative
workshops with related professionals and experts like
earth-scientists, engineers
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Developing means of
collaboration with the EU and international bodies dealing with
risk mitigation
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Reporting on current
developments of research and implementation concerning risk
mitigation
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Compiling methods of
integrating mitigation planning theory and case studies into
planning curriculum
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Bibliography (share
and recommendation)