Strategic Environmental Planning: Comparative and Critical Analysis

This report delves into the realm of strategic environmental planning, commencing with an executive summary outlining the core objectives of assessing environmental strategies. It initiates with an introduction that underscores the significance of environmental planning in contemporary society, e...Read More

Running head: STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
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Executive Summary:
The purpose of this discussion is to determine the use of Strategic environmental planning.
The discussion includes a literature review about the Environmental Strategic Planning and
how it is effective in the present society. A brief discussion of the three strategic plans
highlights the comparative analysis of them which highlights their key issues and how they
affect the environment and society. Lastly, a critical analysis helps in the in-depth
understanding of the issues and different policies of the international bodies and hoe are they
effective in the proper planning of the environmental plans.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review:..................................................................................................................3
Comparative Analysis:...........................................................................................................4
Critical Analysis:....................................................................................................................5
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................6
Reference:..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction:
Strategic Environmental planning is one of the most significant approaches in a
modern day society. The rising pollution and its daily increase due to several human practices
is the primary concern for every country in the world. In order to achieve a sustainable
development of the society, considering all the key aspects and the requirements of the
environment is the primary objective. This type of natural and scientific identification of
ideas can help in the proper planning for the future days (Environment.gov.au 2018). The
purpose of this discussion is to critically assess the different strategic plans that are being
developed for building a sustainable society. In order to achieve the process, a literature will
be done on the strategic environment planning, followed by a comparative analysis of the
different aspects of the strategic plans. This will further help in the development of the
critical analysis of the strategic environmental plans which be helpful for the better
understanding and analysis.
Discussion:
Literature Review:
The literature of strategic environmental planning is a very diverse field of research
which analyses the ecological requirements of the land and the equivalent social needs. The
balance between the two is essential for determining the developmental policies of the
governments.
According to several researchers Strategic Environmental Assessment is a key tool for
the environmental analysis. Different countries have their own approach of the environmental
assessment. In one of the research journals, Kelly (2012) has argued that though the
implementation of the Environmental Assessment in a new policy for the legal framework, it

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is a popular tool for the development of new environmental policies. The literature of
Strategic Environmental planning considers different theories of assessment which ensures
the transparency of the environmental requirements for the better understanding of the key
aspects that require development. The government journals of Australia, states the idea of the
collaboration of the federal government and the state governments can create responsibilities
towards the environmental sustainability (Environment.gov.au 2018).
The methods of assessment and planning include a number of strategic plans which
recognises data from the different environmental surveys. The survey data makes the
literature of environmental planning richer as the data demonstrate the actual environmental,
social and economic benefits which can create a sustainable approach towards the balanced
environmental planning. The government journals enrich the literature by defining the
different plans that build the decisive instruments for the different sectors that are to be
assessed during the development of the environmental plan (Environment.gov.au 2018).
Moreover, it mentions the different bodies responsible for maintaining the specific data
records for the environmental studies. The efficiency of these bodies can help in determining
the authenticity and importance of the assessment carried out by them. This puts weight on
the relevance of the strategic planning. The Australian Government literature about strategic
environment planning mentions in detail the requirement of the strategies and reflects the
policies which are determined by the strength of the legal bodies that they are endorsed by
(Environment.gov.au 2018).
Comparative Analysis:
Some of the effective strategic environmental planning methods are:
 Green and Cool city: The Strategic environmental planning by the Sydney
government has led to the planting of more than 11000 trees on the streets since 2005

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and more than 13466 in the Johnson’s Creek and Sydney Park since 2015
(Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au, 2018). The future targets include planting trees in the
coming years and restore areas of natural importance to develop a more
environmental friendly society. This can reduce the effects of global warming and
make the cities cooler and more comfortable to live in. Moreover, the conservation of
the indigenous flora and fauna are also a part of this planning whose strength is to
develop a biodiversity which can sustain the society in a more environment friendly
way.
 Water sensitive city: This strategy has been adopted the Sydney city administration to
monitor the misuse of water in the city and reduce its mismanagement
(Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au, 2018). The strength of this plan is that it has taken a long
time period for the target and a step by step analysis has already helped it achieve
moderate success. The installation of meters and using alternative water sources such
as harvested rainwaters for parks and irrigation can reduce the level of water misuse.
However, it has seen a growth of water use since 2006 by 52%, its determination to
monitor the causes and use of proper technology can help to develop the efficiency in
the coming years (Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au, 2018).
 Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (EU): This is a sustainable
environmental planning that has been adopted the countries of the European Union for
the better use of land, energy, waste and other natural resources. The European
countries have to suggest different plans and policies for the sustainable development
of the different environmental aspects which are to be measured using the monitoring
procedures according to the guidelines of the SEA and the EU (Europa.eu 2018). The
environmental report can help in the implementation of the appropriate plan according
to the requirements of the environment of the different countries.

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Critical Analysis:
The regional governments play a very important role in the assessment and
implementation of the strategic environment planning. As can be seen in Sydney, the
government plays a very major role in leading the environmental change. The effectiveness
of the plans depend on the influential role of the government who can motivate the local
bodies and the local communities. It is impossible for the government to achieve the level of
sustainability without the help of the local community. According to Therivel (2013), it can
be argued that the global monitoring system of the environmental policies, Strategic
environmental assessment (SAE) is very important for determining the sustainability of the
environmental plans according to the requirements. It can save the taxpayers’ money from
being wasted into vague policies which will play no important role in the actual sustainability
of environmental planning.
SAE also determines who is develop the strategic plans for the environment. While
governments play the major part in determining the policies, there are many private
companies who play a major part in these decisions (Europa.eu 2018). The real life data and
instances are detrimental in SAE policies which balance the sustainable consumption of the
natural resources and judge them on the basis of the economic and political factors.
However, motivation and collaboration plays a very important part in the above mentioned
strategies. The advocate of change and the long term benefits of the plans can be effectively
motivating in factors such as highlighting the changes and transformation.
Conclusion:
The above analysis is an in-depth discussion of the prime factors of the environmental
strategic planning. Firstly, the literature review of the planning highlights the aspects that are
responsible for the need of environmental planning. It also determines the effectiveness of the

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methodology of the planning and development of the policies. This is highly detrimental in
judging the usefulness of the planning process. Moreover, the data collection methods and
their relevance to the topics are also important for determining the authenticity of the
problems and the urgency of it. In this regards the effective planning and different policies
highlight how they drive the change in the society. Lastly, it can be concluded from the
critical analysis that the importance of the policies in accordance with the international laws
and the monitoring process helps to understand the planning method in a more sustainable
manner.

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Reference:
Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au 2018. [online] Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. Available at:
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/284749/Environmental-
Action-strategy-and-action-plan.pdf [Accessed 18 Aug. 2018].
Environment.gov.au 2018. Department of the Environment and Energy. [online] Department
of the Environment and Energy. Available at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/strategic-assessment-prospectus [Accessed 18 Aug.
2018].
Europa.eu 2018. Strategic Environmental Assessment - SEA - Environment - European
Commission. [online] Ec.europa.eu. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/sea-
legalcontext.htm [Accessed 18 Aug. 2018].
Kelly, A., Jackson, T. and Williams, P. 2012. [online] Ro.uow.edu.au. Available at:
http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1573&context=lawpapers [Accessed 18
Aug. 2018].
Therivel, R. and Paridario, M.R., 2013. The practice of strategic environmental assessment.
Routledge.