Looking at the SUMP guidelines, Step 2.1.2 is connected to Phase 1 ‘Preparing well’ - Step 1 ‘Determining potential for success’ - Activity 1.4 ‘Review resources’ and Phase 2 – ‘Rational and transparent goal setting’ - Step 2 ‘Define plan scope and process’ – Activity 2.2 ‘Strive for policy coordination and an integrated planning approach’ and Activity 2.4 ‘Agree on work plan and management arrangements’
Looking at the SEAP/SECAP guidelines (How to develop a Sustainable Energy Action Plan Guidebook part I), Chapter 3 is focused on “Adapting administrative structures”, therefore is connected to Step 2.1.2. Moreover, ‘Adapting city structures, including allocation of sufficient human resources’ is a formal commitment of those signing the Covenant of Mayors.
The project manager summons a kick off meeting, involving the local authority’s department directors. In this meeting the members of the harmonization team and their degree of involvement need to be defined.
Departments to involve may include: urban planning, environment, transport and mobility, statistics, ICT, public procurement, PR, etc.
It is paramount to involve in the harmonization team the key persons in charge for the existing SECAP and/or SUMP when applicable.
To avoid the perception that one of the two plans prevails over the other, it is advisable not to appoint the SECAP or the SUMP coordinator as manager of the harmonization team. All the required technical and communication skills to develop the SECAP and SUMP should be well represented.
Not all the team members need to be permanent members of the team; some might be required for limited tasks or on an ad-hoc basis. The time of involvement into the harmonization process needs to be defined.
EXAMPLE: CITY OF AREZZO (Italy):
The development of the city’s SEAP started after the adoption of the SUMP draft by the Mayor’s Cabinet in January 2015. The SEAP, passed by the Council in July 2016, benefitted from a series of interdisciplinary meetings to coordinate the two plans, led by the Department for the environment and the Department for urban planning and land use. A multidisciplinary team was created, involving political decision makers (2 deputy mayors, for environment and urban mobility and traffic, respectively). Technical officers were involved from the urban mobility unit and the environment protection unit. External consultants were involved for the development of both SEAP and SUMP. The SUMP and SEAP teams cooperated in the collection and elaboration of data regarding transport.
Arezzo’s SEAP and SUMP are now aligned in terms of actions contained in the two plans.
EXAMPLE: CITY OF PORDENONE (Italy):
Exploiting the major opportunity offered by the need to fully revise the city’s land use and development plan, Pordenone’s SEAP and SUMP were developed in parallel and in the overall framework of the abovementioned plan, in a process started in 2014 and completed in 2016. A multidisciplinary team was set up to align contents and approaches in SEAP and SUMP, involving partners and stakeholders internal and external to the local authority.
In particular, overall coordination was entrusted to the Department of land management, infrastructure and environment. Political decision makers were actively involved (3 deputy mayors for environment, urban mobility, urban planning and land use planning, respectively). Technical officers were involved from the urban mobility and traffic unit, the environment unit, the complex operative unit for land policies. External consultants were involved for the development of three plans (land use and city development, SEAP and SUMP). Data collected for overlapping areas (particularly traffic) were used jointly for the development of SEAP and SUMP and overlapping actions aligned and shared between the two plans.
The team may be composed of a small number of members during step 2 (planning of the harmonization process), and be supplemented by more members in step 3 (implementation). External consultants might be useful to support the process or individual tasks. Typical tasks to commission to external consultants are tasks for which the municipality lacks own resources, like data collection or the facilitation of the participatory process.
At this stage, a preliminary estimate of the required resources including time spent by the team and budget required for external consultants is done to provide a framework for further planning. It has proven practical to create a shared folder for data on the municipal server, accessible to all the SEAP/SECAP, SUMP and harmonization teams. A common database might be considered, including the rules for data collection, storage and updating.
Expected outputs:
- Document: outline of skills required, preliminary budget, assessment of staff and consultants required for the harmonization process.
- Appointment of the initial harmonization team and outline of the full team.
- Shared folder for data storage during the harmonization process.
