Suchergebnisse

Public involvement has been recognised as a fundamental aspect of landscape planning for over 40 years, and has been more recently legitimised in policy through the European Landscape Convention. However, the practice of public involvement in landscape planning remains questionable. In this thesis I develop the argument that failure in public involvement is founded on a weakness in theoretical understanding within the discipline. Consequently I argue for a strengthening of the theoretical base underpinning public involvement in landscape planning, and seek to contribute to the development of this theory. The research which this thesis builds on examines how public involvement is theorised and practised in landscape planning. The empirical material which supports this analysis has been gathered by examining landscape assessments, which are identified as a key moment in the landscape planning process. I use landscape character assessments, undertaken in England, as a case for analysing how practitioners engage the public and handle their multiple values. In this thesis I expose the dynamics between theory and practice within landscape planning. I argue that an ambiguity in the discipline is created by the presence of plural understandings of landscape. In particular, two contrasting theorisations of landscape drive a gap between the rhetoric of practice, and its conduct. The first theorisation, expressed in the ELC and forming the rhetoric of practice, identifies landscape as a dynamic, holistic entity dependent on perceptions. The second theorisation which is operationalised in the conduct of practice is an objective outsiders' view, where landscape is understood as a physical surface. I further argue that this confusion relates to a weakness of substantive theory in the landscape planning discipline. Practice builds on procedural theories which have weak substantive grounding, brought about by the discipline being driven and developed by practice, and falling back on an objective outsiders' view of landscape. Such a view of landscape means that landscape planners lack adequate tools for handling the diverse and dynamic values which are experienced in landscape, and therefore have no sound basis for dealing with conflicting values. This thesis contributes to an understanding of the dynamics of landscape planning, and begins to develop a theoretical position, with landscape as a democratic entity as the focus for public involvement. The thesis explores the implications of the theorisation of a democratising landscape for the discipline of landscape planning.

The right of individuals to have recourse to international human rights bodies has been regarded as one of the most significant developments in securing respect for and the promotion of universal fundamental rights and freedoms.1First, it ensures that individuals subjected to human rights violations have an alternative forum should the domestic judicial forums not be persuaded of the existence of rights violations, for whatever reason. Secondly, the availability of an individual's right of recourse affirms the fact that the individual is an actor cognisable by international law, and is not dependent on the intervention of other States for the safeguarding of his or her rights.2This is particularly important, as many States are slow to engage complaint mechanisms against another State for fear of reprisal (be it in the form of economic or political sanctions, or the instigation of a complaint under the same mechanism by the other state), lack of interest, or otherwise.3Thirdly, the existence of suchfora, and the right of individual complaint from a variety of countries, are useful in developing a common universal standard of human rights observance.4The combined result of these is that implementation of the goals set out in the international human rights instruments is facilitated because the means for their enforcement are not dependent upon international politics but rather are put in the hands of the rights holders. In turn, such machinery should improve State compliance.5

An overall penetration rate of 1.4 main telephone lines per 100 inhabitants,1a waiting period of 14 years for new connections, closure of the waiting list because the number of applicants was too great, a telephone call completion rate of less than 30 per cent,2obsolete equipment, chronic breakdown problems combined with a substandard fault clearance rate; these were some of the features of the "delinquent service" provided by Zimbabwe's State-owned telecommunications monopoly, the Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (PTC). InRetrofit (Pvt) Ltdv.Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (Attorney-General intervening)3the question which faced the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe was whether the PTC's statutory monopoly, seen in the context of a system which the PTC itself had conceded was "markedly inadequate to meet the present communication needs of the population",4was an unjustifiable hindrance on the right to free expression.

In this paper, we engage with the topic of public participation in landscape planning. Academic discussions and policy rhetoric tend to build on a conceptualisation of landscape as a democratic entity, yet practices of participatory landscape planning often fall short of these ideals. Most scholars approach this rhetoric-practice gap from procedural and normative positions, defining what makes a successful participatory process. We take an alternative approach, scrutinising the role of landscape planning theory in participatory shortcomings, and reveal how poor substantive theorisation of 'the political' nature of landscapes contributes to the difficulties in realising participatory ideals. We engage theoretically with the political dimension, conceptualising and explaining the implications that differences, conflicts and power relations have for participation in landscape planning, that is, politicising the landscape. This theoretical engagement helps bring about a much-needed realignment of substantive theory, procedural theory and practice for developing participation in landscape planning.