Landscape Observatories as Medium bodies between Community and Institutions

1. Landscape Observatories
as key-medium-bodies
between Communities and Institutions
Planning beyond the Institutions
UNISCAPE En-Route
International Seminar
Landscape Observatories in Europe II
Author:
Carmine Nigro
Affiliation:
Politecnico di Torino
Torino , 23 September 2014
Castello del Valentino,10v

2. • Key points of this Work
• What can we learn from Landscape Observatories experiences
• “Strategic Ideas” for :
Receiving Legitimacy by Community
Being Recognized by Institutions
• General Suggestions
Contents
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3. Key Points of this Work (1)
• Interconnected 'Domino effect‘ Crisis
Generate a reduction of legitimacy given by people to Institutions
Distance between Citizens and Institutions
•‘’Vacatio Sedis‘’
“Space of dissolving governance“ (Healey)
Absence of Bodies to be a Medium

4. Key Points of this Work (2)
• Planning as ‘Community Planning’ :
“Planning carried out with the active participation of
the end users” (Wates 2006)
Participatory Landscape Planning
• Key -Medium- Bodies :
Bodyes that can help Planning acting inbetween Institutions
and Community
LANDSCAPE OBSERVATORIES

5. • Different backgrounds but similar tools, methods and approaches
• Capacity of gathering experts of diverse aspects and the Community at a same
roundtable
• Capacity of awareness raising (first important step before effectiveness! )
• Capacity of being perceived as non Governmental/Institutional bodies due to
their way of acting (better participation)
• Statutory absence of other interests in the area by the members (better
participation, better results)
• Capacity to generate “virtuous patterns” of multilevel Governance
What can we learn from Landscape Observatories experiences
The work is based on the symmetrical analysis of two medium-bodyes:
an English Trust two Italian Landscape Observatories
Brenta
Channel
Moraine
Amphitheatre
of Ivrea
Glendale
Gateway
Trust

6. “Strategic Ideas”
Receiving legitimacy by
Community
Being recognized by
Institutions
Strategic Thinking
Not a preset strategy (Healey,2007)
Ideas and attitudes to be used to be a successful Bodies :
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7. • Comprehensive Involvement
• Awareness Raising
• Commitment and citizenship of operators
• Feeling of "something new“
• Capacity to communicate people
perceptions to institutions
• Use web/social media (marketing)
• Networking with other Associations
“Strategic Ideas” for:
PROBLEMS
• Need to "start from“ awareness raising
• Difficulties to include all the parts of the Community and Stakeholders
Obtain consensus
"Be different
from Institutions"
Extend Audience
and "Community
voice"
Receiving legitimacy by Community
*

8. Being recognized by Institutions
• Work with Institutionalized bodies
• Enhance dialogue
• Economic Independence > finding
money
• Push for "Horizontal Dialogue“
• Be capable to communicate Institutions’
ideas to people
PROBLEMS
• More flexibility/ independence for organizations
Show constant
proactivity
Maintain "intellectual
independence"
Show usefulness
“Strategic Ideas” for:*

9. • Maintaining a balanced /independent position in choices and proposals
• Maintaining an attitude to dialogue (mediating between different points
of view)
• Be up-to-date on changes of Community structure and perception and
in Institutional projects
• Become hub and incubator ("a yeast") for ideas of Community,
Organizations and Institutions
• Have an entrepreneurial attitude > to overcome crisis, be recognized as
proactive
General Suggestions
PROBLEMS
• Limit expenditure / costly expertise >>>> connecting with
Academics >>> Become boot-camp
(who to follow "both patterns“)

10. Thank youfor your attention.
UNISCAPE En-Route
International Seminar
Landscape Observatories in Europe II
T o r i n o
22-23 Sept. 2014
Castello del Valentino,10v