SPATIAL PLANNING Key Instrument for Development and Effective Governance

recently taken place. This situation contributes to the reluctance of businesses to locate or invest in
these areas. In addition, the illegal development of land, often in areas unsuited for development, is a
common by-product of unclear planning legislation. In Skopje, for example, there are 27 illegally
constructed neighbourhoods; some 146,000 buildings have been illegally constructed in Belgrade; and
more than 45 per cent of the population of Tirana lives in informal settlements on the outskirts of the
city. The lack of spatial policies, plans and enforcement also contributes to corrupt practices and ad
hoc decision-making in the development approval process.
The following eight points summarized below (Box 2) outline the main reasons spatial planning is
widely applicable to most countries, and particularly to UNECE countries in transition.
Box 2: Reasons for spatial planning
1. To provide vision and consistent direction, as well as a strategic assessment not only of what is desirable, but
what is possible in various contexts.
2. To protect the rights of people. Once people gain access to land, in effect they obtain certain rights and
obligations. It is necessary to manage change in such a way that those rights and obligations are respected.
3. To protect natural systems. Natural systems have their own operational requirements which must be respected if
long-term sustainable human development is to be achieved and if large-scale environment degradation is to be
avoided or at least minimized;
4. To make efficient use of resources. Resources, such as land, water, energy, finance, building materials, skills,
etc. are in short supply. Those that are available must, in all contexts, be used wisely to ensure that maximum
benefit is obtained from them.
5. To achieve a higher quality of service delivery by all spheres of government.
6. To coordinate actions and investments to ensure maximum positive impact from the investment of resources, it is
necessary to coordinate actions and investments in time and space. This coordination is of two kinds: the
coordination of different forms of public authority actions and investments, and a greater coordination between
public and private actions;
7. To set priorities. To enable significant inroads to be made into meeting the developmental needs of the country in
a fair way, it is necessary to provide a rational basis for prioritization, and to manage and direct resources to
where they are needed most.
8. To avoid duplication of effort by different departments and spheres of government.
Source: South African National Development and Planning Commission, 1999
Employment conditions have also changed dramatically in many UNECE countries in transition in
recent decades. While agriculture and the manufacturing industry remain important sectors of the
economy in most of these countries, the share of employment in these sectors has decreased in many
cases. The share of employment in the service sector, on the other hand, has increased rapidly. In
many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the share of employment in the service sector is now
around 60 per cent, which is approaching the same situation as in western economies (UNECE, 2005).
These shifts in employment have led to some profound changes in the territorial development of
countries, patterns of employment and commuting and in the structure and performance of national
economies.
The UNECE region continues to face significant local, transboundary and international environmental
problems (UNECE, 2003). These include emissions of greenhouse gases, air and water pollution, loss
of biodiversity, increased waste generation, technological hazards and risks to human health caused by
harmful chemicals. Despite progress in some of these areas, such as the reduction in emissions of
some air pollutants and the decoupling of economic growth and energy consumption, more effective
measures are needed to protect the environment and human health. Environmental conditions within
human settlements have become a central concern due to strong links between economic growth,
poverty and the environment. Transition countries are facing the consequences of air, soil and water
pollution due to the use of outdated industrial technologies and the lack of consistent environmental
policies. In the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA), the existence of contaminated
Spatial Planning - Key Instrument for Development and Effective Governance 3