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

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide
Source: Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council
industry, and transportation—is presented at the bottom of the figure. The findings of this technical assessment allow managers in
Helsinki to identify and then address waste and inefficiencies in the energy system to make it more sustainable. This figure shows
that the Helsinki Metropolitan Area has vastly improved the efficiency of its energy system by using waste heat from the electricity
generation process in the city’s district heating system.
The technical methods used in systems analysis require access to extensive, detailed data, a high-level of technical expertise,
computer equipment, and considerable time. Although they can provide invaluable information, they may not yet be appropriate or
effective for community-based planning in most cities and towns. Nevertheless, the concept of systems is still indispensable to
successful planning for sustainability. For this reason, a participatory planning exercise called “service issues mapping” and a
participant assessment method called “networked assessment” are recommended in sustainable development planning.
Service Issues Mapping
Systems analysis begins with a common understanding of the system that is being addressed, the issues confronting that system, and
how it can be sustained. Service issues mapping is an exercise which combines concepts of systems analysis with simple communitybased
mapping techniques. Mapping has been used in the field of development planning over the past decades as a tool for engaging
local residents in sharing and discussing information about their local conditions. The mapping process creates a “map” to guide and
focus group analysis of issues and problems. Maps can be constructed by a group for a physical area, a neighborhood, family
relations, a series of issues, or a natural, built, or service system.
Service issues mapping is a group brainstorming and analysis technique to help stakeholders identify the full range of issues that
must be considered in order to address a single priority service issue. In addition, the tool is useful to identify the different
stakeholders who need to be involved in the performance of a more comprehensive assessment of a service issue: “networked
assessment.”
The steps used in a service issues mapping exercise are presented in Worksheet 2. In a small group setting, stakeholders from
different sectoral and issue backgrounds work together to analyze the relationships among a priority service issue and the other
issues facing their community. The facilitator of the exercise uses the Worksheet to list the issues that are identified by the
stakeholders as being connected to the solution of the priority service issue. These “connecting issues” are then presented to
participant and technical assessment teams to be addressed during their assessment exercises.
WORKSHEET 2 SERVICE ISSUES MAP
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