Introduction

This research project examines challenges and opportunities in Danish spatial ‘development planning’ – used here as an umbrella term for a broad variety of voluntary, non-mandatory, and ‘soft space’ spatial planning activities that aim to develop places, neighbourhoods, and communities. The focus is on knowledge and practices arisen from producing different types of informal and non-mandatory plans, and how this can contribute to insights regarding a more situation- and place-sensitive approach to planning. The intention is also to help planners, communities, and development actors create manageable planning spaces for sustainable place development, which are both strategic, citizen-inclusive, and realisable.

Motivation and background

Well-functioning urban areas and local communities with a high level of quality of life are pivotal to the everyday well-being of humans as well as to the capacity to handle climate change aspects and ensure a more balanced development. It implies a need to focus on sustainable place development in settings and areas closer to citizens and users, such as neighbourhoods, towns, villages, etc. Also, it implies a need to enable or build ‘appropriate planning spaces’, where focus is on the establishment of binding collaborations, coordination between different types of actors, and mutual integration of non-mandatory and mandatory plans.

Challenges and opportunities

To a great extent, non-mandatory spatial ‘development planning’ has gained significant traction and influence in Danish planning practices during the last couple of decades. The phenomenon covers many titles and types, e.g. urban development plans, urban renewal plans, local strategic-physical plans, master plans, local development plans, etc. and has primarily been associated with ‘soft spaces planning’ in urban and planning research literature. Practical experience and research indicate that spatial development planning can, potentially, be a powerful tool for communicating and supporting local development with particular attention to place identity and place qualities. The process behind the plan can also open ‘new spaces’ for discussion, include citizens and local knowledge, and contribute to co-creating shared visions, directions, and a sense of ownership in the local community.

However, one of the main challenges of non-mandatory spatial development planning is related to the lack of coherence with mandatory and authority-based planning, i.e., statutory planning strategies, and municipal, local, and sector plans. The role of non-mandatory development planning often lacks clarity, and this can cause planning confusion at political levels of decision-making and frustration among planners, consultants, communities, investors, etc. working with planning practices.

Key objectives

The key objectives of the research project are to investigate conditions for non-mandatory spatial development planning to:

• mature as a tool for sustainable place development;
• improve linkages towards both mandatory and other non-mandatory spatial strategies and plans, as well as improve linkages between disciplines and sectors;
• improve through well-established communities, collaborations, improved citizen involvement and mutual commitments, and maintain this in implementation stages and over time through strengthened local organisation and place leadership.

This will be achieved by systemising and analysing previous experiences and a number of cases in Denmark (in different contexts), incorporating state-of-the-art knowledge and research regarding the transformation and planning of places, areas, and local community development, and by following and interacting with new non-mandatory spatial development planning processes.

About the project

The research project was initiated in August 2023 and is expected to run for 2 years and is anchored in the research group PLUS (Planning for Urban Sustainability) and Danish Centre for Spatial Planning under the Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University.

The project is led by associate professor Carsten Jahn Hansen from the PLUS group.

Also participating is:

-Professor Henrik Halkier and associate professor Laura James from TRU (Tourism Research Unit) and RECAST (Research Group for Sociocultural Aspects of Sustainability and Green Transitions) under the Department of Culture and Learning at Aalborg University

-Maria Aaen from Dansk Kyst- og Naturturisme (Danish Coastal and Nature Tourism) Finally, scientific assistant Frida Dalbjerg Kunnerup from the PLUS group participates.

Project partners

The project is funded by Realdania (a philanthropic association), Aalborg University, and Dansk Kyst- og Naturturisme (Danish Coastal and Nature Tourism).