Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1325383
14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 JANUARY 2021 COMMERCIAL Sustainable development does not hap- pen by accident. Amid rapid urbanisa- tion, climate change and ageing popula- tions, sustainable development relies on innovative and meaningful spatial plan- ning for towns and cities. While smart planning may be led by local authorities, it is crucially a participatory process that empowers stakeholders at all levels – the public included – to add their voices to a strategic vision for the future. Ivan Fava, Strategic Planning Unit Manager at Malta's Planning Authority (PA) firmly believes in bottom-up con- tributions when planning for Malta's sustainability. "The responsibility of re- leasing a strategic spatial vision for the country lies on the PA's shoulders," Mr Fava explains, "but its implementation involves every part of Maltese society." Back in 2015, the PA unveiled Malta's Strategic Plan for Environment and De- velopment (SPED), thereby imparting a holistic direction for Malta's growth. "Unlike detailed local plans, the SPED is intentionally general to encompass broad objectives that affect Malta's de- velopment, including the economy, en- vironment and society," continues Mr Fava. "We identified eight key topics: so- cioeconomic, environmental, climate change, travel patterns, and urban, rural, coastal and marine spatial zones. There is no one-size-fits-all approach that can be applied to all areas, which is why the SPED gathers each one's unique issues and objectives. The targets outlined in the SPED were put forward in a geo- graphical, spatial manner with the inten- tion of them feeding into subsidiary leg- islation and policies nationally, locally and privately, including land-use plans." Malta's socioeconomic development features prominently in the SPED. Over the last 20 years, the country's economy has shifted from being industry-driven to services-led. The island has attracted international companies, foreign work- ers and large investments, triggering a high level of development pressure. Property prices have increased signif- icantly, which has caused affordability issues among low-income earners and vulnerable groups. "Malta has certainly felt the strain," Mr Fava continues. "Our health and trans- port infrastructure have been squeezed, and there's a burden placed on the envi- ronment. Land in Malta is scarce. Every choice we make, at every level of society, has a spatial impact, meaning it's felt on the ground. In this regard, the SPED is a tool to guide Malta's decisions towards sustainability." The PA monitors the evolution of Malta's socioeconomic needs and keeps track of development permissions to determine whether the SPED's aims are being achieved when seen through a ho- listic lens. The PA's responsibility is also to assess and revise the SPED, a process set to start in 2020, five years after its re- lease. "Planning isn't only about providing land for the economy," Mr Fava asserts. "People require space to live and enter- tain themselves. The SPED highlights our basic need for outdoor recreation, and social and community facilities, in- cluding schools, care centres for chil- dren, the elderly and disabled, as well as animal welfare. Lifting vulnerable groups out of the risk of poverty and social ex- clusion is critical for Malta's wellbeing." All the while, the country's strategic in- frastructure, including water, electricity, sewage, fuel and telecommunications, must be safeguarded. Moreover, the im- provement of transport networks is an ever-present debate. Therein lies the is- sue of current users competing for Mal- ta's land and resources. "Future generations must also be pro- tected," Mr Fava highlights when think- ing ahead to where the SPED goes from here. "A community's need for space, and consequently for robust spatial strat- egy, remains present. Buildings result- ing from today's plans must be flexible enough to accommodate future chang- es and our available resources must be managed sustainably to protect our rural areas and quality of life. "At the PA, we're conducting exercises to deepen our understanding of Malta's socioeconomic issues, including stud- ies of our development capacity and is- sued permits, distribution of spatial uses such as residential and industrial, and demographic studies into housing and employment. However, we need input from the public; to hear from eyes on the ground. So, we are encouraging citizens to make their voices heard in our public consultations. This is everyone's chance to ensure that Malta's strategic vision is one that you're on board with." Malta's Strategic Plan for Environ- ment and Development can be accessed via: https://www.pa.org.mt/en/strate- gic-plan Spatial planning to make Malta more resilient The future of Malta's sustainable development hangs in the balance. Ivan Fava, from the Planning Authority, explains why effective planning can replace fragility with robustness in Malta's socioeconomic roadmap