The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide
The Environment Council was created by Municipal Law No. 675 of July 1990, and was reformulated after the Environment
Conference of June 1994. Twenty-eight members now constitute the Council, and its action areas have been expanded. Aside from
proposing methods for preserving the environment and receiving complaints about threats to flora and fauna, the Environment
Council is also concerned about environmental sanitation. It has a mandate to defend nature from abuse and to involve other public
institutions in doing the same.
Set up in September 1993, the objective of the Northwest Zone Popular Council is to involve itself in the development activities of
the Regional Administration, and to present proposals and collaborate in defining priorities for the area. It is also mandated to work
with the residents and the executives of the 14 societies for the improvement of the region.
To exchange information and experiences among various sectors, members of some Councils sit on other Councils. For example,
representatives from the Council of the Physically Challenged participate in the Councils of Health, Transport, Education, and the
Environment. Representatives from the Council of Neighborhood Organizations sit on the Councils of Health, Housing, and the
Council for the Defense of the Cultural Heritage of Santos. This “cross-seating” provides an opportunity for deepening the
understanding and alliances between one sector and another.
The break with the traditional forms of city planning and management obliges the local authority to develop alternative methods and
techniques for communicating technical matters to the public. The process of demystifying technical know-how has been a learning
process for all parties involved.
Expanding the notion of knowledge and expertise has made it possible to acknowledge and value popular knowledge and local
cultural values. It has been important for Santos to incorporate these values when elaborating public policies. This process also
involved the democratization of information and led to increasing public access to information.
The Municipal Councils of Santos are, in effect, broad-based partnerships, in which service users and providers influence sector
specific municipal policy and jointly assess and define service provision. Councils are equal partners in defining the priorities of
local government for their sectors and they play a crucial role in budgetary allocations to that sector. Councils have decision-making
power in the allocation of funds for the various municipal functions, as well as the mandate to manage the budget for each of their
particular councils. Councils have greatly enhanced public participation in municipal affairs in Santos, legitimized the local
authority, and provided a cross-fertilization of ideas and strategies among different interest groups in the municipality.
Contact
Ms. Siomara Gonzalez Gomes
Secretaria do Meio Ambiente
Prefeitura Municipal de Santos
Praça Mauá s/n°
CEP. 11010–900, Santos, Brazil
Tel: +55 132/197838
Fax: +55 132/2195454
E-mail: prodesan@ax.ibase.org.br
2.3.4 CASE #4
JOHNSTONE SHIRE COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA
PARTICIPATORY LOCAL STATUTORY PLANNING
Program Name
The Johnstone Plan
Background
The local authority of Johnstone Shire comprises 1,260 square kilometers that adjoin two World Heritage sites, the Great Barrier
Reef and the Wet Tropics, in the state of Queensland, Australia. The Shire has a population of 19,144, which is equally distributed
between its principal town, Innisfail (9,000 persons), and the rural area. The Shire’s agricultural economy is based on sugar cane and
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