Abstract
Natural hazard investigators recommend that local governments adopt mitigation plans to help reduce hazard losses. However, such plans are unlikely to be effective unless a wide range of public stakeholders is involved in their creation. Previous research shows that stakeholder participation levels in hazard mitigation planning tend to be low, though there may be particular choices that local government planners can make to foster participation. We examine the importance of planners’ choices and role orientations (i.e., beliefs regarding appropriate behavior in the workplace) for participation levels in site plan review, wherein local governments review site plans for proposed development projects to ensure compliance between project design and applicable plans and policies. Using a national sample of 65 development projects located in areas subject to natural hazards, and bivariate and multivariate analyses, we examine whether participation levels during site plan review depend upon planners’ choices and role orientations, and whether participation levels are correlated with the incorporation of hazard mitigation techniques into development projects. We find significant correlations between participation levels and planners’ choices, between participation levels and planner’s role orientations, and between participation levels and the incorporation of hazard mitigation techniques. We encourage local government planners to revisit their beliefs, choices, and behaviors regarding public participation in site plan review.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Bengston DN, Fletcher JO, Nelson KC (2004) Public policies for managing urban growth and protecting open space: policy instruments and lessons learned in the United States. Landscape and Urban Planning 69:271–286
Benveniste G (1989) Mastering the politics of planning: crafting credible plans and policies that make a difference. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Berke PR, Song Y, Stevens MR (2009) Integrating hazard mitigation into New Urban and conventional developments. Journal of Planning Education and Research 28:441–445
Briassoulis H (1999) Who plans whose sustainability: alternative roles for planners. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 42:889–902
Brody SD, Godschalk DR, Burby RJ (2003) Mandating citizen participation in plan making: six strategic planning choices. Journal of the American Planning Association 69:245–264
Burby RJ (2003) Making plans that matter: citizen involvement and government action. Journal of the American Planning Association 69:33–49
Burby RJ (2006) Hurricane Katrina and the paradoxes of government disaster policy: bringing about wise governmental decisions for hazardous areas. Annals of the American Academy of Political Science 604:171–191
Burby RJ, Dalton LC (1994) Plans can matter! The role of land use plans and state planning mandates in limiting the development of hazardous areas. Public Administration Review 54:229–238
Burby RJ, May PJ (1998) Intergovernmental environmental planning: addressing the commitment conundrum. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 41:95–110
Burby RJ, Cigler BA, French SP, Kaiser EJ, Kartez J, Roenigk D, Weist D, Whittington D (1991) Sharing environmental risks: how to control governments’ losses in natural disasters. Westview Press, Boulder
Burby RJ, Beatley T, Berke PR, Deyle RE, French SP, Godschalk DR, Kaiser EJ, Kartez JD, May PJ, Olshansky R, Paterson RC, Platt RH (1999) Unleashing the power of planning to create disaster-resilient communities. Journal of the American Planning Association 65:247–258
Callahan K (2007) Citizen participation: questions of diversity, equity and fairness. Journal of Public Management & Social Policy 13:53–68
Correia FN, Fordham M, Saraiva MDG, Bernardo F (1998) Flood hazard assessment and management: interface with the public. Water Resources Management 12:209–227
Cutter S (2001) American hazardscapes: the regionalization of hazards and disasters. Joseph Henry Press, Washington, DC
Downs A (2005) Smart growth: why we discuss it more than we do it. Journal of the American Planning Association 71:367–378
Edelenbos J, Klijn EH (2006) Managing stakeholder involvement in decision making: a comparative analysis of six interactive processes in the Netherlands. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 16:417–446
Godschalk DR, Kaiser EJ, Berke PR (1998) Integrating hazard mitigation and local land use planning. In: Burby RJ (ed) Cooperating with nature: confronting natural hazards with land-use planning for sustainable communities. Joseph Henry Press, Washington, DC, pp 85–118
Godschalk DR, Beatley T, Berke P, Brower DJ, Kaiser EJ, Bohl CC, Goebel RM (1999) Natural hazard mitigation: recasting disaster policy and planning. Island Press, Washington, DC
Godschalk DR, Brody S, Burby R (2003) Public participation in natural hazard mitigation policy formation: challenges for comprehensive planning. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 46:733–754
Haque CE (2000) Risk assessment, emergency preparedness and response to hazards: the case of the 1997 Red River Valley flood, Canada. Natural Hazards 21:225–245
Howe E (1980) Role choices of urban planners. Journal of the American Planning Association 46:398–409
Howe E (1994) Acting on ethics in city planning. Center for Urban Policy Research, New Brunswick
Howe E, Kaufman J (1979) The ethics of contemporary American planners. Journal of the American Planning Association 45:243–255
Innes JE, Gruber J (2005) Planning styles in conflict: the metropolitan transportation commission. Journal of the American Planning Association 71:177–188
Insurance Information Institute (2009) Facts and statistics: Hurricanes. http://www.iii.org/media/facts/statsbyissue/hurricanes/. Accessed 12 Mar 2009
International Panel on Climate Change (2007) Climate change 2007: synthesis report. Valencia, Spain
Laurian L (2004) Public participation in environmental decision making. Journal of the American Planning Association 70:53–65
Leighley JE (1995) Attitudes, opportunities and incentives: a field essay on political participation. Political Research Quarterly 48:181–209
Long JS (1997) Regression models for categorical and limited dependent variables. SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks
Long JS, Freese J (2006) Regression models for categorical dependent variables using Stata. Stata Press, College Station
Lorch R (2005) What lessons must be learned from the tsunami? Building Research & Information 33:209–211
Nelson AC, French SP (2002) Plan quality and mitigating damage from natural disasters: a case study of the Northridge earthquake with planning policy considerations. Journal of the American Planning Association 68:194–207
Pearce L (2003) Disaster management and community planning, and public participation: how to achieve sustainable hazard mitigation. Natural Hazards 28:211–228
Petak WJ, Atkisson AA (1982) Natural hazard risk assessment and public policy: anticipating the unexpected. Springer-Verlag, New York
Prater CS, Lindell MK (2000) Politics of hazard mitigation. Natural Hazards Review 1:76–82
Reddy SD (2000a) Examining hazard mitigation within the context of public goods. Environmental Management 25:129–141
Reddy SD (2000b) Factors influencing the incorporation of hazard mitigation during recovery from disaster. Natural Hazards 22:185–201
Roberts N (2004) Public deliberation in an age of direct citizen participation. The American Review of Public Administration 34:315–353
Song Y, Berke PR, Stevens MR (2009) Smart developments in dangerous locations: a reality check of existing New Urbanist developments. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 27:1–24
Steelman TA, Hess GR (2009) Effective protection of open space: does planning matter? Environmental Management 44:93–104
United States Geological Survey (2007) Natural hazards—a national threat. Fact Sheet 2007–3009
Warner J, Waalewijn P, Hilhorst D (2002) Public participation in disaster-prone watersheds: time for multi-stakeholder platforms? Paper for the Water and Climate Dialogue. Disaster Studies, Irrigation and Water Management Group, Wageningen University
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [NSF Grant # CMS-0407720]. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. We are grateful to three anonymous reviewers and the editor of this journal for their helpful comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stevens, M.R., Berke, P.R. & Song, Y. Public Participation in Local Government Review of Development Proposals in Hazardous Locations: Does it Matter, and What Do Local Government Planners Have to Do with It?. Environmental Management 45, 320–335 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9397-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9397-2