Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1431464
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 NOVEMBER 2021 14 COMMERCIAL A plan for Cottonera There are few jewels in Mal- ta's crown as unique as the Three Cities. Set across from Valletta in the middle of the Grand Harbour, they are a ca- cophony of people, places, ar- chitecture, and activities that have evolved over the centu- ries. Today, this location truly is one of the island's most vi- brant. But it was not long ago that the Three Cities, or Cot- tonera as they are also known, felt very different and much of its rich heritage risked being lost to depredation and disre- pair. Thankfully, its incredible history and buildings began to draw people to it, and both pri- vate and public projects have seen it brought to life in ways that may have seemed impos- sible just a couple of decades ago. Now, attention is back on Cottonera to see through the implementation of the Strat- egy for Cottonera, which was announced by the Govern- ment in 2018. That strategy was drawn up with numerous stakehold- ers at its helm, including the Planning Authority – led by a Steering Committee chaired by Glenn Bedingfield. "When it was being drawn up, the Strategy was designed to improve the social and en- vironmental make up of the Cottonera area," Mr Gauci explains. "In the years prior, it was clear that Valletta has received much attention and numerous upgrades, and that now was the time to shift focus to this important region too." The creation of the strategy took several months and the PA, as one of the contributing stakeholders, was engaged to help prepare it. The Authority had previously worked on the Strategy for Valletta, which meant it was experienced as to the best approach to take to find and formulate the infor- mation needed. "Often, planning is associat- ed with physical work, such as the regeneration of buildings," Mr Gauci continues, adding that it is so important to hu- manise the planning process. "But planning is critical to the regeneration of our entire so- ciety." In fact, what made the Cot- tonera Strategy document dif- ferent is that it put people first. "You cannot decouple socio- economic contexts from what is happening from a physical point of view," he explains. "Whenever plans do focus just on the physical – like roads or buildings – things do improve but not holistically. On top of that, locals often feel left out because the home they once knew and understood has been gentrified and has outgrown them." Rather than risk this happen- ing in Cottonera, the Strategy kickstarted a bottom-up con- sultation process by involv- ing key stakeholders; rang- ing from local residents to NGOs operating in the area, to the Local Councils, amongst which a survey was carried out amongst Cottonera residents. "We asked them what they liked and what they didn't, and the results were really in- teresting," he says. "It turned out over 60 per cent were happy and didn't wany any- thing major to change, while others highlighted issues with parking, public space man- agement, a lack of housing, a lack of childcare facilities, and problems with the general up- keep of the region. It provided incredible insight for us to be able to make our recommen- dations." Implementing the Cottonera Strategy The Strategy was crafted around the Government's vi- sion to improve life for the people of Cottonera. As a re- sult, it focuses on three key objectives: to improve social capital, upgrade the urban en- vironment, and increase busi- ness attractiveness within the rich and diverse cultural land- With the Strategy for Cottonera now in implementation phase, work has begun to not just safeguard the Cottonera region but to ensure it evolves and thrives well into the future – all thanks to careful planning. Here, Planning Authority official Joseph Gauci explains why planning really is key to the future success of our society's story