Public participation in strategic environmental assessment (SEA): Critical review and the Quebec (Canada) approach

Gauthier, Mario; Simard, Louis; Waaub, Jean–Philippe

doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2010.01.006

Cited by 85 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This involves the identification of: a) the institutions/organizations to involve in the procedure; and b) the participatory activities and conferences required to guarantee participation in the SEA process. Since SEA is linked to the planning framework for each region, it is worth considering the views of some scholars that environmental assessments are facing a post-classical rational planning phase, being influenced by interactive planning approaches (Gauthier et al, 2011). Again, in Gauthier (p. 49), "interactive (joint or communication-centred) planning relies on interactive dynamics involving dialogue, sharing opinions and arguments and emphasis on a holistic, constructivist approach focused on merging knowledge and action (reflective thinking in action)".…”

Section: Current Framework: Taxonomies Lacks and Open Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions

Baresi

Vella

Sipe

2017

Environmental Impact Assessment Review

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Clear and effective legislation is a prerequisite to move sustainable development from theory into practice. This paper develops a methodology to investigate how Italian regions use Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and the procedures used in the European Union (EU) to pursue sustainable development of policies, plans, and programs (PPPs). This case study is at the Italian regional level, examined to identify flaws and areas for improvement for each regional legislative framework. For this purpose, we used criteria from international debates on sustainability assessments. Through statistical multidimensional analysis, we classified Italian regions with similar SEA legislation. We developed four taxonomies, based on: i) legislation and guidelines; ii) integration between SEA and PPPs; iii) sustainability goals; iv) technical organization; v) participatory organization; and vi) monitoring. Our findings suggest that Italian administrators should cooperate to improve legislation at the regional level. Acknowledging the institutioncentered nature of SEA, this methodology could support SEA development in European countries with diversified traditions.

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Section: Current Framework: Taxonomies Lacks and Open Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions

Baresi

Vella

Sipe

2017

Environmental Impact Assessment Review

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“…According to several authors, environmental assessment is entering a postclassical rational planning phase [7,8], i.e. it is time to link technical approaches to socio-political debates, increasingly prominent via multiple negotiations that are at the core of decision-making process [3]. Because, it is critical that science on its own, without a process of consideration and argument amongst a wide range of stakeholders cannot provide guidance on the "best" options for a future action [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens where each individual should have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes [2]. It is inevitable trend that the public participation must be integrated in environmental matters, because it allows information relevant with democratic decision-making process to be included and it increases the integrity of the selected programs, plans, and policies [3]. Our ecosystem is moving into a new situation where environmental information is tightly related to public participation in decision-making and awareness of environmental matters [2,3,4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is inevitable trend that the public participation must be integrated in environmental matters, because it allows information relevant with democratic decision-making process to be included and it increases the integrity of the selected programs, plans, and policies [3]. Our ecosystem is moving into a new situation where environmental information is tightly related to public participation in decision-making and awareness of environmental matters [2,3,4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Introduction of Pack Test for Participative Environmental Monitoring and Environmental Education for Sustainability in Malaysia

Rahman¹

2012

JTLS

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Pack Test which provided by Kyoritsu Chemical-Check Lab. Corporation has been assumed as a professional easy-to-use onsite water quality checker. The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of application of Pack Test in Malaysia, and to assess the required matters during introduction processes. Two workshops were sampled to prove the potential function of Pack Test in environmental education and participative environmental monitoring. Two hours lecture of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) was facilitated as a workshop by author on September 23, 2010, and then the author has assisted a workshop in Putrajaya on October 9, 2010. Questionnaire forms were applied to test as if people"s feeling are positive or not towards Pack Test as preliminary research. Water quality parameters were simultaneously measured by Pack Test, such as, COD, NO 3-, CI -, and NH4 + in UTM, pH and NO 3-were measured in Putrajaya workshop, respectively. Participants" feeling in the both workshops showed strong positive potential for Pack Test. The results of water qualities from UTM workshop had big variation in COD and NO3 -. Considering the reason, the UTM workshop was conducted without proper support for both facilitators and participants. Participants were able to classify the water quality level in a short time. As for the Putrajaya workshop, with deep support and well skilled instruction by facilitator team, the data showed small variation i.e. good and consistent water quality result. It is obvious that Pack Test is always applicable to assess water environment and it is well functioned as user friendly easy-to-use water quality checker. Thereby the role of Pack Test is segregated from conventional standard methods. The participants" feeling to Pack Test was highly positive for implementation in order to improve public environmental awareness. Simultaneously, they were feeling that people can participate more effectively in water environment issues by Pack Test. It was clear that Pack Test was notable in-situ water quality checker, which has advantages over its particular methods that never rely on transport of samples to a distant laboratory for chemical analysis. Above all, it could be a breakthrough point to empower public participation, and environmental education for water sustainability. In addition, it can be pointed out that if there are chance to get skilled of the usage of Pack Test, which will be important for teachers, engineers, and other potential facilitators to ensure the effective usage of Pack Test towards.

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“…Undeniably, this shift implies de-structuring the previous model by acknowledging, "policy formation and policy implementation are inevitably the result of interactions among a plurality of separate actors with separate interests, goals, and strategies" (Scharpf et al 1978, p. 346). The abandonment of a rational perspective on policy-making also implies the shift from rigid processes and perspectives to a new dimension, where SEA 'participation and stakeholders' audit became the key issue of the process (Gauthier et al 2011). Among the consequences of this shift of paradigm, , it is worth to outline how the policy-making process, and therefore the SEA one, can't rely anymore on the idea of a central, strong thorough institutional actor; this is rather the result of "an interactive, dynamic, and complex process" (Lobos & Partidário 2014, p. 38).…”

Section: Sea Capacity Building and Policy-makingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A limits-oriented approach to sustainable planning assessments: a comparative analysis of South East Queensland (Australia) and Lombardia (Italy)

Baresi¹

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Sustainable development is one of the key issues facing human survival on this planet. The urban planning discipline is actively involved in fostering more feasible ways to structure human activities and their relationship with the global ecosystem's finite resources. Since sustainability has become a major issue for human kind, sustainability assessments have proliferated in different ways to integrate socio-economic prosperity and provide environmental safeguards. In theory, these assessments can contribute towards addressing the increasing threats posed by climate change and by the depletion of natural resources, by building consensus around shared strategies involving a wide range of stakeholders to address national and international sustainable development goals. In practice however, sustainability assessments are undermined by problems associated with first the policy-making processes (for example, stakeholders' involvement) and second the measurement of the impacts of policies, plans and programs (such as the definition and computation of sustainability indicators). These issues weaken community trust in sustainability assessments and reduce their efficacy. Critical research is required to explore viable solutions.The main goal of this thesis is to address the shortcomings of current procedures for sustainability assessment. A comparative case study explores differences and similarities between an Australian region (South East Queensland) and an Italian region (Lombardia), which are representative of different institutional and planning backgrounds. Methodologically, this thesis develops and applies a framework to understand how limitations within political and societal processes prevent the achievement of environmentally sustainable planning. This framework combines a 'limits-oriented approach to evolutionary ecology' (Sih & Gleeson 1995) transposed to governance and policy-making processes, and the need to pursue a sustainable use of finite natural resources as suggested by positions addressing the 'limits to growth' by Meadows et al. (1972).Overall, this thesis develops an approach to diagnose current obstacles that need to be overcome and the pathway for achieving institutionalised limits-oriented approaches for improving procedures of sustainability assessment. This 'limits-oriented' framework outlines the benefits that South East Queensland and Lombardia can achieve by optimising current practices for sustainable planning within their regional contexts. This approach explores the limiting traits that undermine the performance of sustainability assessments, and proposes ways to bridge the gaps that separate their theoretical conceptualisation from their practical implementation.The framework developed and tested through this thesis offers an analytical lens to examine how the assessment of sustainable planning is currently featured in different institutional contexts. Its experimental implementation in countries with different planning traditions provides an insight on iii how to overcome iss...

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Public participation in strategic environmental assessment (SEA): Critical review and the Quebec (Canada) approach

Cited by 85 publications

References 35 publications

Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions

Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions

Introduction of Pack Test for Participative Environmental Monitoring and Environmental Education for Sustainability in Malaysia

A limits-oriented approach to sustainable planning assessments: a comparative analysis of South East Queensland (Australia) and Lombardia (Italy)

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