Bart Humblet
EIA/SEA expert
+31 570 639 303
bart.humblet@dhv.com
8 - Roads and Regional Development
Cooperation
Preparation of a road often takes decades. The bottleneck is usually not the legislative procedures, but societal and political support. When cooperation is good, the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) effect is manageable through procedures. Road plans are more easily accepted and there will be less surprises and legal appeals. When cooperation is not right, road planners in democratic countries are sure to meet resistance and delays.
Despite national differences in planning systems and planning cultures, there are similarities. In countries in transition, the population becomes wealthier, it puts more value on the quality of living and it knows to mobilize political power. International financers often feel responsible for the quality of road plans and also they need to be ascertained that a road is supported. On the other hand, road planning practices are still based on the past and transition countries desperately need better roads.
How can road planners deal with this huge tension? Useful links on cooperation in general:
The European Commission's transport site <short description to follow>
The database of the Netherlands Commission on EIA; this is a database of experiences with Strategic Environmental Assessment, and several of these experiences relate to cooperation. You will have to browse the database yourself.
European Commission's environmental publications <short description to follow>
EC regional policy search page; This page contains summaries of most of the Regional Development Programmes that have been officially adopted by the European Commission.
More specific information can be found in the following topics:
