Territorial Strategic Planning: Implementation and Benefits

Strategic Planning and Its Application to Territory

Strategic planning, or a strategic plan, is usually defined as an action plan aimed at emphasizing that its vocation is not to establish an explicit framework, but rather the specific ways that have been followed to achieve the proposed goals.

Territorial Application and Popularity

Strategic planning applied to the territory initially emerged in American cities and, generally, in the Anglo world. Why did strategic planning spread quickly and become popular? Because of its advantages and benefits:

• It focuses on the strengths of a city, region, or territory and discovers opportunities.
• It places local problems in a regional, national, and international perspective.
• It channels energies and resources toward priority objectives.
• It promotes coordination between institutions and different administrative levels.
• It promotes cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Structure of Territorial Strategic Plans

Strategic plans applied to territories are structured around the following elements:

Public Sector Leadership

The plan is usually led by the Administration to create a framework that triggers and guides actions and interventions in both the public and private sectors.

Participatory Process

The planning process is participatory. This involves working from the beginning with all public and private actors present in the territory. Strategic planning is a decentralized and active process, where the goal is to inform, educate, mobilize, and energize all actors around a common project: your city, territory, or region.

Consensus, Agreement, and Commitment

Urban reality is a reality of conflict, with very different and even opposing needs and interests. For the plan to work, the planning process must generate a consensus, a compromise between these potentially conflicting needs and interests.

Reflection, Debate, and Action

In reflection and debate, action, consistency, and negotiation are necessary to reflect upon and discuss the status of key issues and real development alternatives for the desired project. This process of reflection and debate must be operational; the diagnosis made by all public and private actors should encourage them to action.

Characteristics of Territorial Strategic Planning

Integral Planning

It introduces economic, social, and cultural development activities.

Action-Oriented

Planning is action-oriented (setting achievable goals, assigning responsibilities).

Consensus-Based

It is based on the consensus of social, economic, and civic participation, considering the city or territory as a system composed of interrelated subsystems.

Strategic Direction

It involves introducing strategic thinking into the management of the city or territory. It is not intended to directly improve what is already being done daily in the city or territory, but rather to set a global direction.

Leadership Role

It involves a leadership role. It is not a normative planning tool but aims to set a global direction.