Planning capacity of Slovenian municipalities

Abstract

Spatial planning is one of the major legal duties for Slovenian municipalities. The planning framework is legally defined in the Spatial Planning Act which is frequently modified. Thus, municipalities need to adhere to changes very often. The capability of a municipality to adapt to new obligations and conditions influences delivery of spatial development. In a doctoral research we analyzed the capacity of municipalities to implement the planning act, i.e. what is the planning governance capacity of Slovenian municipalities. Thirteen indicators were defined and data were collected with the help of a questionnaire and secondary sources. These indicators were then used to produce the typology of management capacity in the field of planning. We also tested whether the size and spatial characteristics of a municipality affected the final result of this classification. Fifty-five municipalities were classified into three groups: municipalities with poor conditions for the implementation of spatial planning legislation (37 municipalities), municipalities with fair conditions for the implementation of spatial planning legislation (17 municipalities) and the Municipality of Ljubljana as the municipality with the best conditions. Groups differ in human resource solutions, finance consumption, frequency of participation of stakeholders and their impact. Comparison between the size and typology of governance showed their mutual dependence, and therefore in different sized municipalities we find different governance capacities. Finally, some suggestions for better spatial governance are proposed.

Forms, areas, and spatial characteristics of intermunicipal cooperation in the Ljubljana Urban Region

“…Examples from abroad (Hophmayer-Tokich and Kliot 2008;Romanczyk 2015;Ioan-Franc, Ristea and Popescu 2015;Põldnurk 2015;Pérez-López et al 2016) and from Slovenia (Marot 2010) show that the governance of functionally connected areas is more successful when there is cooperation between authorities. This is especially true for Slovenia because of its small size and its human resources and financial limitations, which could be solved through various forms of intermunicipal cooperation.…”

Spatial limitations on farms in urban outskirts

“…Among other things, the local communities are responsible for spatial planning, which they regulate through legislation. Oftentimes legislative changes demand that municipalities adapt their manner of administration, and the success of adapting to new operating conditions affects the success of spatial development (Marot 2010). Based on the example of the settlement of Moste or the Municipality of Komenda, it is possible to conclude that the development of non-farming activities currently takes precedence.…”

Qualitative changes in the entrepreneurial sector in emerging territorial systems – Craiova case study

“…After 2000, the coming into existence of access routes between the main cities led to the first transfers of economic ventures from inside cities to the outskirts. In numerous academic works, the entrepreneurial sector is considered as an engine of economic development for a particular geographical space (Guiso and Schivardi 2011;Schumpeter 1911), with the transfer of innovation being an important advantage for the territorial system (Marot 2010;Razpotnik Viskovi} 2011).…”