Public Interests Flashcards
Public Interest
General “common wellbeing” of a population.
Older concept of public interest
Clean water, sewer systems, safe shelter, and separation of incompatible land uses.
Altruistic claim of public interest
Many professional organizations now claim that they serve the interests of the public rather than individual clients.
Lindbolm
Challenged the concept of unitary public interest in 1965. Due to plurality of interests, any prioritization of goals was impossible.
Jacobs
Highlighted the growing discontent with the technical-rational approach and called for smaller, slower, and more tailored approach of intervention cognizant of local considerations.
Three concepts of public interest
- Utilitarianism/liberalism
- Current Planning
- Communitarian
Utilitarian/liberal concept of public interest
Individual rights are prioritized and public interest is the sum of individual interests or the greatest good for the greatest number.
Utilitarian/liberal concept of public interest is strongly linked to..
The rational comprehensive approach.
Criticism of utilitarianism
Does not adequately protect minority interests and can be used to justify their abuse in favour of the majority.
Current planning model of public interest
Employ inclusive, transparent, and fair processes to determine planning policy and actions. Seek mutually agreeable solutions.
Criticism of current planning model of public interest
Places far too much emphasis on the project rather than the outcome. It is often difficult to get mutual agreements in diverse communities.
If too much emphasis is placed on process, then the outcome will be market driven which doesn’t represent public interest.
Communitarian Model of Public Interest
Places individuals in the context of their broader community rather than on the simple advancement of their self-interest.
Contemporary View of Public Interest
Public interest is nuanced, multi-layered concept based on a competition among different interests.
Planning has become an ethical act with…
moral consequences.
How to our moral standards affect our discretion
- They govern our judgement about the rightness or wrongness of actions, the goodness or badness of certain states of affairs, the virtue or viciousness of people, and the justice or injustice of social practices and institutions.
- Having standards of right and proper conduct directs us to act in conformity with those standards.
First Section of the Code of Professional Conduct
Outlines four minimum standards for planners with respect to the public interest.
CPC 1.1
Members shall practice in a manner that respects the diversity, needs, values and aspirations of the public and encourages discussion on these manners.
CPC 1.2
Members shall provide full, clear, and accurate information on planning matters to decision-makers and members of the public, while recognizing the employer or client’s right to confidentiality and importance of timely reporting.
CPC 1.3
Members shall acknowledge the interrelated nature of planning decisions and the consequences for natural and human environments
CPC 1.4.
Members shall provide opportunities for meaningful participation and education in the planning process to all interested parties.
Definition of public
Inclusive term, encompassing individuals, institutions, and organized groups.
5 Enabling Competencies
- Critical Thinking
- Interpersonal
- Communications
- Leadership
- Professional and Ethical Behaviour
Critical Thinking
- Issues identification
- Problem solving and decision-making
- Research and analysis
- Innovation and creativity
- Political awareness
- Change management
Interpersonal
- Integrity and trust
- Diversity and inclusiveness
- Facilitation
- Negotiation
- Collaboration and consensus building
- Conflict management
Communications
- Listening
- Writing & oral presentation
- Information and knowledge
- Use of information technology
- Internal and external relations
Leadership
- Vision
- Responsiveness and influence
- Team building
- Climate of excellence
- Managing resources and results
Professional and ethical behaviour
- Ethical standards
- Professionalism
What underpins everything a planner does in relation to the public interest
Integrity and trust; creation of a climate of excellence
Public Opinion
What various stakeholders think and say about an issue.
Different from public interest which needs to be guaged through professional judgement
Public concern
Expressed through more formal organizations such as neighbourhood groups, business associations, interest groups, community organizations, and government agencies.
Interests that cannot be represented at the table
Eg. future generations, the natural environment, the cultural environment
Transparency
Since the way you arrive to your conclusion of the public interest will not satisfy any stakeholder group completely, it is important you be transparent about the way in which you reached your conclusion.
Reading in between the lines
Determine the roots of various opinions and translate them into statements of different public interests.
Attendance vs participation
People who attend may not participate in an engagement
Three components to engagement
- Inform
- Obtain Feedback
- Promote engage in discussion
Informing
First task in engagement is to inform people. Without giving them the information, you won’t get useful feedback.
Initial Feedback
After you present information, seek the public’s feedback on that information.
Modify Project
Once initial feedback is received, you may need to modify the initiative or the way the information is presented based on the feedback received.
Promote/Engage in Discussion
Open discussion with stakeholders.
Finalize Project
Modify the project to reflect the issues and learnings of the engagement process and finalize.
Underrepresented Stakeholders
It is our duty to take these stakeholders into account.
For a specific instance, providing a definition for public interest
Based on everything considered (legislation, technical info, public input), a planner must provide an independent professional planning opinion, of a definition of the public interest for a particular project.
Two ways sustainability can be represented in a diagram
- Series of concentric circles with economy in the center, social as a large circle, and environment as the largest.
- A venn diagram with three overlapping circles
- Economic + social = equity
- Social + enviro = bearable
- Enviro + social = viability
All three = sustainability
An independent professional opinion must be
- Informed by legislation
- Framed by existing plans
- Prepared free of any interests or biases
- Developed without the influence of external biases
- Transparent in development
- Diligently prepared
- Respectful of the values held by the client or employer
- Defensible, both internally and externally
Negotiation of opinion
The perspectives of others must be considered and your opinion may have to be changed.
