ABSTRACT
‘Green planning’ is a term originally applied to plans developed, mainly in industrial countries, to address escalating environmental problems. But some developing countries have also used this terminology (for example, Namibia). It appears to have been first introduced formally in 1989 when, in response to public and political pressure to deal with mounting concern about the environment, the Canadian environment ministry — Environment Canada — embarked on preparing a Green Plan for Canada (Government of Canada, 1990a). More recently, ‘green planning’ has been used in a wider context — as a ‘shorthand’ description, as Sadler (1996) puts it — to embrace a range of initiatives, including those plans and strategies concerned with broader issues of sustainable development, particularly by members of the International Network of Green Planners, established in 1993 to foster information exchange and learning among strategy practitioners and policy-makers (Box 1.1). However, as we will show in this book, most green plans produced in the industrial countries remain focused on environmental issues; very few (mainly those undertaken independently of governments) have yet attempted to balance environmental, social and economic concerns — a central requirement of moving towards sustainable development. The International Network of Green Planners
The INGP was founded in December 1992 by a small group of experts from governments and agencies engaged in strategic environmental management, which, met in Washington DC. It is now coordinated by a secretariat housed in the Directorate for Strategic Planning of the Dutch Ministry for the Environment. The secretariat is responsible for registering members (now numbering some 200 practitioners from around the world), facilitating contacts and exchanging information on issues of interest to members, setting agendas within the network, and assisting in organizing international and regional network meetings. INGP communication is assisted by Green Page — a periodic network newsletter. Another useful tool is the Green Planners’ Guide, which provides brief professional profiles of INGP members.
Two international meetings have been held to date. The inaugural meeting in Maastricht, in April 1994, provided a forum for exchange of ideas and experiences and considered policy processes and mechanisms. The second in San Francisco in June 1995 concentrated on issues related to implementing green plans: barriers, stakeholder involvement, problem definition, goal development, and measuring progress, with water management as a focal theme. Both meetings were supported by issue papers prepared in advance by consultants to facilitate discussion.
