Framework Strategies

The majority of successful framework strategies which really brought about integrative programs and projects were preceded by quite a long process of elaborating a (value-oriented) vision of the future which brought together politicians, administrators, and members of the public.

Purpose of framework strategies

In several cities there are (politically accepted and approved) vision statements, framework strategies, or long-term cross-cutting strategic plans in place which guide and support the development of integrated projects by:

• giving guidance to the formulation of project objectives and aims,
• linking project objectives and aims to strategic long-term goals of the city,
• ensuring, or at least making it easier to gain, political support and resources for a project,
• changing views and attitudes of decision makers, administrators, and municipal experts,
• (possibly) changing governmental structures and instruments (legal and financial for instance) in favour of integrated projects,
• facilitating communication and dialogue with other tiers of government that are needed to develop and implement a project,
• initiating a 'societal' or community discussion on values and aims of urban development in which the project is embedded.

In the majority of instances, framework strategies are the result of:

• recognition that even long-term sectoral visions and (master)plans can only lead to unsatisfactory solutions to complex challenges in municipalities, and also to attrition loss with other fields of policy,
• experience of (stand-alone) projects which worked successfully due to integrated approaches,
• prolonged inter-disciplinary discourse within the fields of politics, administrative bodies, and the general public.

As a general rule, framework strategies are therefore not to be found at the outset of a shift towards integrated urban governance, but on the contrary require fundamental experience of the processes in advance. However, since these processes bring forward further elaboration of this kind of approach to a very considerable extent, local authorities should develop long-term strategies at as early a stage as possible. This is also a reason why the outcomes of integrated projects need to be disseminated throughout the municipality.

Characteristics of good framework strategies

Successful framework strategies are characterised in the following ways:

• They formulate over-arching and cross-cutting objectives.
• They are not engraved in stone. Monitoring is one of the components, thus enabling the strategy to be further developed and elaborated.
• They incorporate external framework conditions and aim to elaborate solutions for challenges associated with these conditions as well.
• They provide an integrative way of looking at key topics and give indications and direction towards additional policy fields which need to be included.
• They initiate links to existing specialist planning and make attempts to achieve synergetic effects to these planning fields.
• They put forwards indications concerning new tools and instruments which need to be created.
• They establish spatial, time-frame and subject-matter points of main emphasis, and priorities.
• They are constructed on inter-disciplinary cooperation, cooperation between administrative bodies and with the general public.

Example: Berlin's framework strategy

These developments and problem areas form the background to the Berlin Senate’s 2008 decision to adopt the framework strategy for socially integrative urban development. It is based on the overall vision which is the model for all policies regarding Berlin: the city’s continued development as an attractive, socially balanced, culturally diverse, and cosmopolitan community. The senate’s decision takes this very general vision and focuses it specifically in view of the socio-spatial trends.

The objective of the framework strategy is to improve equality of opportunity for all the city’s residents. To achieve these objectives, some fundamental principles have been formulated and are currently being tested in three pilot districts.

• Socio-spatial orientation is the most important principle of the strategy. It focuses on the residents’ lives in their locality, addressing their needs and opportunities in the area where the strategy measures are to be implemented. These spatial planning units have between 5,000 and 10,000 residents and generally involve an area which can be covered on foot. We are also currently in the process of adapting the socially integrative urban development monitoring system to cover these “residentially oriented spaces”.
• The idea behind socio-spatial orientation is to strengthen the neighbourhoods by means of citizen cooperation. The aim is to activate the neighbourhood’s self-help potential and to make use of existing resources for the locality’s further development.
• A prerequisite for this type of approach is interdisciplinary cooperation between municipal departments. We are no longer simply talking about setting up a youth club or building a road, tasks which can be carried out by a single municipal department. No, we are aiming to improve the socio-spatial quality of an area with a range of coordinated measures. This cannot be achieved without extremely close cooperation between various municipal departments. In Berlin, this also involves the senate and district municipal departments working together. To facilitate this organizational interaction, administrative units for socio-spatial planning coordination will be set up in all twelve Berlin districts from 2011 onwards. The districts themselves will be responsible for selecting the neighbourhoods where the planning of measures will begin. Rather than starting in all areas, actions will initially be located in districts where the social problems are most pressing to ensure the best use of limited resources. The socially integrative urban development monitoring system will provide the data on which these decisions can be based.
• Lack of resources makes it necessary to implement the concept gradually; however, the strategy is designed to be implemented throughout the whole city. That is one of the main differences with neighbourhood management.

To sum up, the framework strategy with its socio-spatial orientation comprises a change of perspective in planning activity. The target group orientation is extended to include spatial orientation, focusing on the social conditions. The neighbourhood is becoming an interdisciplinary 'planning space'.