Digital Spatial Planning (NO0058)

Digital Spatial planning processes with adapted guidance and Area statistics Profiles 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2019 Responsible body Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation Description What problem for the general public is the commitment aimed to solve? Lack of adapted statistics and analyses on the area situation and land use and development. Inadequate models, standards and interfaces between different systems and communications to different user groups. Inadequately adapted guidance as a basis for participation, early conflict resolution and good dialogue in digital spatial planning processes. What is the commitment? Prepare standards, specifications, guidance and examples of digitalised and transparent spatial planning on processes. Support R&D projects, piloting and demonstrators. Prepare relevant and detailed statistics for municipal and regional spatial planning. Prepare better self-service solutions for public spatial geographic information, spatial planning data, building and property information. How will the commitment contribute to solving the problem? A better knowledge base and clearer land-use plans, better basis for participation, better and more targeted guidance, early conflict resolution, more predictable processes for land use and development. How is this commitment relevant to the OGP’s fundamental values? Better basis for participation and transparent processes. Better basis for increased value creation. Additional information Earmarked funds will be allocated to this during a priority period and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 11, which will also have relevance to Sustainable Development Goals 6, 8, 9, 14 and 15. 26 Milestones Start date End date Digital spatial planning registers, increased income-to-cost ratio in the municipalities 1 June 2015 31 December 2019 Template and model for digital spatial planning regulations 1 February 2017 31 December 2019 Area statistics Profiles – adapted statistics for municipal spatial planning 1 March 2018 31 December 2022 Area statistics Profiles – adapted statistics for municipal spatial planning 1 August 2018 31 December 2022 Contact information Person responsible from the implementing body Kari Strande Entity Planning Department, Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation E-mail/Telephone kari.strande@kmd.dep.no Other public participants Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), local municipalities, Directorate of Building Quality, Norwegian Mapping Authority, Statistics Norway Collaborative civil society organisations, cross-sectoral working groups, etc. Construction industry, consulting companies, system suppliers, etc.

5. Digital Spatial planning processes with adapted guidance and Area statistics Profiles

Main Objective

"Lack of adapted statistics and analyses on the area situation and land use and development. Inadequate models, standards and interfaces between different systems and communications to different user groups.

Inadequately adapted guidance as a basis for participation, early conflict resolution and good dialogue in digital spatial planning processes.

Prepare standards, specifications, guidance and examples of adastered and transparent spatial planning on processes. Support R&D projects, piloting and demonstrators. Prepare relevant and detailed statistics for municipal and regional spatial planning. Prepare better self-service solutions for public spatial geographic information, spatial planning data, building and property information.

A better knowledge base and clearer land-use plans, better basis for participation, better and more targeted guidance, early conflict resolution, more predictable processes for land use and development."

Milestones

• Digital spatial planning registers, increased income-to-cost ratio in the municipalities (1 June 2015 – 31 December 2019)
• Template and model for digital spatial planning regulations (1 February 2017 – 31 December 2019)
• Area statistics Profiles – adapted statistics for municipal spatial planning (1 March 2018 – 31 December 2022)
• Area statistics Profiles – adapted statistics for municipal spatial planning (1 August 2018 – 31 December 2022)

Editorial Note: For the complete text of this commitment, please see Norway's action plan at https://www.regjeringen.no/en/dokumenter/norges-handlingsplan-4---open-government-partnership-ogp/id2638814/

Commitment Analysis
This commitment aims to improve spatial planning processes by preparing standards, specifications, guidance, and examples of digitalised and transparent spatial planning. The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation (KMD) plans to develop a digital guideline for spatial planning by 2023. [22]

The most important acts in place relevant to spatial planning are the Geodata Act, the Planning and Building Act, and the Cadastre Act. In a white paper from 2017, KMD found that Norwegian cities and municipalities needed better area statistics profiles. [23] Furthermore, in a report on such profiles, it was suggested various indicators for how this could be achieved and measured. [24] Currently, datasets related to spatial planning in Norway are spread across a variety of different cadastres and databases. For example, maps are available at a cadaster administered by the Norwegian Mapping Authority, [25] and data on cultural heritage sites is available from a database administered by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. [26] Therefore, KMD plans to collect area statistics profiles at the municipal and regional levels, and standardise the information in them, such as changes in land use, construction, cultural heritage sites, etc. According to the white paper, area profiles may lead to better spatial planning processes. [27]

The commitment broadly seeks to provide the public with better access to detailed statistics on municipal and regional spatial planning, including building and property information. It also plans to make the spatial planning process more transparent overall. It is therefore relevant to the OGP value of access to information. According to the white paper [28] and the action plan, better access to spatial area profiles may lead to more participatory spatial planning processes, though this is not specific in the commitment. The planned outputs are mostly verifiable, such as the digital spatial planning registers, the template and model for digital spatial planning regulations, and the adopted statistics for municipal spatial planning. However, the milestones are vaguely formulated, and some will exceed the 2021 end date of the action plan.

Improved statistics on spatial planning, such as land use, could lead to a more nuanced debate on changes in land use from agriculture to business development (some of the best areas for agriculture are commercially more attractive to use for constructing shopping malls etc.). In addition, improved spatial area profiles across Norwegian municipalities could help reduce the risk of building houses in areas vulnerable to flooding or where quick clay incidents may occur. [29] However, given the aspirational nature of the commitment and the lack of details in the milestones, it is difficult to assess the potential impact as higher than minor. [30]

Commitment 5. Digital spatial planning processes with adapted guidance and area statistics profiles

· Verifiable: Yes

· Relevant: Access to information

· Potential impact: Minor

· Completion: Complete

· Did it open government? No early results to report yet

This commitment was adjusted slightly to clarify the terminology in the amended action plan milestones. The commitment aimed to establish more participatory spatial planning processes (by preparing standards, specifications, guidance, and examples of digitalised and transparent spatial planning), although no concrete reference to activities focusing on participation were made in the action plan. Interviewed representatives of the KDD Department for Planning confirmed that the initiative had been ongoing for several years (dating back to 2013) and that it would have been implemented irrespective of its inclusion in the OGP action plan. [30] The activities foreseen as part of the action plan have been completed; since the initiative began in 2013, an increasing number of municipalities have established the planning register. Currently, only 3 percent ^[31] do not have a register. It is not clear, however, that lack of a register has led to the following outcomes, as outlined in the action plan: creation of a better knowledge base and clearer land-use plans, a better basis for participation, better and more targeted guidance, early conflict resolution, or more predictable processes for land use and development. Key challenges that remain include the differences amongst municipalities in the level of completeness of the register, the accuracy and up-to-datedness of the information included, [32] and the lack of a central register in which all information can be accessed directly. [33]