November 23, 2018 - With the aim to emphasize the importance of participatory democracy in spatial planning, Friends of the Bokelian Heritage, Center for Sustainable Spatial Development Expeditio and Cultural Association Napredak Gornja Lastva will organize a public forum titled "Spatial Planning and Protection of Cultural Landscapes" on Monday, November 26 in the church of St. Spirit in Kotor at 9.30 am.
Experts Out of Spatial Planning for a Year Now
The occasion for organizing the tribune is that it has been one year since the adoption and implementation of the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Objects. This law has already caused numerous adverse reactions during the public debate. Against its passage were the profession and the public, non-governmental organization, and civil society. Despite this united public, the Montenegrin Government adopted the law, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sustainable Development started its implementation. At the same time, excessive urbanization and problematic planning solutions have been recognized for many years by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as key factors threatening the preservation of the extraordinary universal value of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor and its survival on the World Heritage List.
Spatial planning is essential for the overall development of a society as well as for the preservation of precious areas such as the Natural and Cultural-Historic Area of Kotor, the organizers emphasize. Aleksandra Kapetanović of Expeditio says: "This is why we want to raise the debate on the current situation in the area of spatial planning, the consequences of poor planning solutions to the total space, especially the protected areas, and the place and role of the profession in this process. With this intent, we are organizing a public forum where, besides the current situation in Montenegro, we will have the opportunity to hear about the models of planning and protection of space at European level".
Participatory Democracy is Crucial for Spatial Planning
The first part of the public forum will focus on spatial planning. The opening speech will give the architect Marija Nikolic, who will talk about the effects of the one-year implementation of the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Objects as a reason for organizing the forum. Speakers of the European Council of Spatial Planners - Luc-Emile Bouche-Florin and Secretary-General Joris Scheers, will present different models of spatial pan-European countries, as well as the European Charter on Participatory Democracy in Spatial Planning Processes.
Founded in 1985, ECTP-CEU (European Council of Spatial Planners - Conseil Européen des Urbanistes) brings together 25 professional spatial planning associations and institutes from 23 European countries as well as corresponding members. It is an umbrella association providing its members with a common framework to promote the visibility, recognition of the important societal role and practice of planning and urban development. ECTP-CEU engages in dialogue with local, national and European government, identifies, and rewards examples of proper planning all over Europe.
The first part of the forum will be closed by Aleksandar Ašanin, who will talk about the planning of space in Montenegro today, the position and role of the profession as well as the influence of the public on the planning processes in our country.
Spatial Planning in Protected Areas
The focus of the second part of the forum is on planning in protected areas. The European experience in the protection of cultural landscapes, including the statement from Davos, will be led by Luc-Emile Bouche-Florin. The experience of urban planning in the protected area of the World Heritage of Dubrovnik will be presented by Marina Oreb, director of the Institute for Spatial Planning of Dubrovnik-Neretva County while reviewing local experts will provide the state of the planning of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor, including Dr. Ilija Lalošević and Aleksandra Kapetanović.
The first part of the forum is a part of the project Strongo - Developing Stronger Civil Society in Boka Kotorska, approved by the European Union IPA 2014 Civil Society Facility Montenegro through the European Union Delegation in Montenegro, which among other things promotes civic activism through examples of good practices. This activity in front of the Stongo project is carried out by NGOs EXPEDITIO - the Center for Sustainable Spatial Development from Kotor and the Cultural Association Napredak Gornja Lastva from Tivat.
The second part of the forum, devoted to planning in protected areas, is organized through the project "Our Heritage - World Heritage," and implemented by Friends of the Bokelian Heritage with the funds approved at the Competition for Financing of Non-Governmental Organizations of the Municipality of Kotor for the year 2017. This project aims to acquaint the most extensive public with the values of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor and the challenges of their protection.
