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

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide
—is organized to participate, with the help of experts, in the use of a traditional technical assessment method, such as State of the
Environment Reporting or Environmental Impact Assessment. An assessment network is organized to help collect, compile, and
review baseline and trend data, using techniques that are appropriate for the group. Technical methods can be used to analyze the
operating efficiencies, balances, system capacities, and other technical issues identified in the meetings of the assessment network.
The findings from the use of technical methods can then be reviewed by the assessment network to validate them against people’s
day-to-day experiences.
After the assessment is completed, the assessment network can prepare a report with information about key system components,
conditions, and trends, and present this report to members of the Stakeholder Group for their review and verification.
One of the practical benefits of involving stakeholders in data collection and analysis is that new sources of information can be
tapped and technical assessment costs can be reduced.
Case #8 describes how Lancashire County, UK, used a networked assessment approach to produce their first Lancashire
Environmental Audit. The networked assessment approach involves the following six steps:
1. Select the key issues, problems, or systems to be assessed.
2. Use service issues mapping to identify the connections among different service issues. This exercise also helps to
identify the people and institutions who would be concerned with the issues. (Worksheet 2 describes the service issues
mapping exercise.)
3. Based on the above identification of concerned stakeholders, a series of interviews or meetings is organized with the
stakeholders to discuss each issue in depth. The primary purpose of these interviews is to clarify which issues require
further technical research and analysis, and to determine what information each stakeholder can provide to further analyze
these issues. These meetings can be used to recruit participants to join the assessment network that will perform the
technical assessment.
4. The assessment network is typically organized into working groups that collect the information that is necessary to
research each of the key issues identified through service issues mapping. Typically, the working groups are organized on
the basis of multiple, connecting issues such as “Housing, Land Development, and Transportation” or “Water
Management, Health, and Social Support Programs.” The assessment network coordinates the research of these working
groups to make sure that they share information and insights.
5. As the process proceeds, data from the different working groups are compiled and submitted to the assessment network
members for further review, analysis, and comment. This can be done through a series of facilitated meetings. These
meetings aim to highlight the fundamental systemic concerns that must be addressed through a technical assessment. Tools
such as SWOT, force field analysis, interpretive brainstorming, and interaction matrices can be used for this purpose.
Worksheet 3 provides a “Connectivity Matrix” which can be used to rank the identified community problems and service
issues according to their systemic importance and connect problem symptoms to long-term system deficiencies and needs.
These rankings can be used to focus the technical assessments.
6. After ample preliminary research and discussion, the assessment network prepares the terms of reference for the
identified technical assessment(s). As the technical assessments proceed, the findings are presented to the assessment
network or relevant working groups for discussion and validation. Ultimately, the findings and conclusions of the
assessment network and the technical assessment professionals are integrated together and presented to a wider audience of
stakeholders (the Stakeholder Group). After a review of the findings and options presented for action, the Stakeholder
Group can begin work on the preparation of an action plan to address the service issue.
http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/448-2/ (60 of 180)18/10/2010 12:47:23 AM