Transparency in Planning: A new Viewpoint

IJPP ­ Italian Journal of Planning Practice 130Vol. III, issue 1 ­ 2013

Paolo Scattoni

ISSN: 2239­267X

Associate Professor
Via Flaminia, 72 ­ 00196 ­ Rome, Italy ­ Paolo.Scattoni@uniroma1.it
Dipartimento di Pianificazione, Design, Tecnologia dell'Architettura ­ Sapienza Università di Roma

The Next issue of IJPP will consider a specific methodology for “planning
without planners”; i.e. locally built plans through planning processes of
active participation.
A specific goal of the issue relates to a set of techniques that originate from
the same research line that our research group has set up over time. A
radically new perspective for community planning is envisaged subject to
three main conditions. The first is that techniques should have greatly
reduced or possibly null costs. Little has been written on the costs of
planning, which in some cases have bee enormous. In this regard, the most
striking Italian case concerns the Master Plan for Rome (Scattoni, 2004).
Exceptional situations aside, even less expensive “official” plans have costs
that a local community cannot afford. A minimum set of no­cost planning
tools will be therefore presented.
A second condition is that of planning tools that should be used by the
community itself without the help by the planners. In this respect, the
proposal goes beyond advocacy planning (Davidoff, 1965) which implies an
expert "at the service" of grassroots groups who wish to build their own
plans. The proposal is for the identification of simple methods and



IJPP ­ Italian Journal of Planning Practice 131Vol. III, issue 1 ­ 2013

Scattoni ­ Trasparency in Planning

techniques to be locally managed and requiring the expert only for specific
performance tips and technical know­how.
The third prerequisite is that of time management skills in these processes. If
the purpose of the process is to influence decision­making it is essential that
it be made traceable over time to provide information to local the local
community in order to relate effectively with the “governments” responsible
for official plans affecting the specific community.
Empirical research (Scattoni, Falco, 2012) shows quite clearly that in a
particular Italian context opacity of decision­making in planning is due to
mechanisms of local politics. The "hidden factor" is precisely that of a local
political system that takes advantage in mediating in a confidential manner
with stakeholders. The proposed approach of “planning without planners”
would have an important role to eliminate such a negative practice.
Transparency remains the only option. from this point of view and the tools
made available by INTERNET can play a role of primary importance.
Despite its pervasiveness Web 2.0 is a relatively new factor in planning. It has
started to be a mass phenomenon only from the early 2000s. On the other hand
there are urban plans that have started the process in those years and have not
yet been concluded. This is to emphasize that the tools of planning have not yet
been able to experience the full potential that the web can offer them.
The approach presented implies that a myriad of strategic frameworks built
from the bottom is then used to influnce “official” planning. Such strategy
would have no chance to develop in a sporadic and not continuous
environment without the help of the net.

REFERENCES

DAVIDOFF P. (1965), "Advocacy and pluralism in planning", in Journal of the
American Institute of Planners, 31(4), pp. 331­338.

SCATTONI P. (2004), L'urbanistica dell'Italia contemporanea, Roma, Newton&Compton.

SCATTONI P. and FALCO E. (2012), "The hidden factor in planning and local politics
in Italy: the case of Tuscany", in Town Planning Review, 83 (1), pp. 47­67.