"What is the essence of spatial planning and urbanism?" - asks the gentleman Odovic - Minister of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property. Go on your own, we'd say. "To make", says Odović - it means that we make, Odović does not say that he will make for us "a balance between the protection of space, which this small but great and great country has, and the need for development and the need of this population to make money, earns and lives normally in the last resort...".
"We don't have," says Odović, "I don't know how much agricultural land we have to live on... (so that we could convert the agricultural land into a construction site - op.a.) We don't have, I don't know how big an area..." etc.
Not a word, therefore, about the needs of the private sector - from the state, as well as from the so-called local self-governments of the heavily favored private sector - in the function of development and economic development (acquiring incredible profits) - in the context of the so-called spatial policies, i.e. public policies (not funny). And which unknown heroines and which unknown heroes will create a balance between the imperative to protect the space and the needs for the so-called spatial development? And what will we do with that balance once - God willing - it is established, for real? Will we be obliged to maintain that balance of ours - ie. to balance - while the world and the ages?
Anyway, there are always more (rhetorical) questions than answers...
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In the Spatial Planning Act, which is in force in our neighboring and fraternal Republic of Croatia - and which, I must mention, is currently under fierce criticism, especially expert criticism - we have Article 8 - The principle of an integral approach in spatial planning planning - and paragraph (2), which says, I will quote, for the hundredth time, it is not difficult for me: "Spatial planning is a constant process (aha! - permanent process - not a campaign process op.a.(aha! - monitoring - op.a.) implementation of spatial plans and the situation in the space".
In the Draft of our future (God willing) Law on Spatial Planning, Odović's views aside, we have Article 2 (I. Basic Provisions/ Spatial Planning), which says: "Spatial planning is considered to be the creation, adoption and implementation of planning documents". Not a word about some sort of balance - the focus is exclusively on the cherry on top of the cake.
If we compare these two definitions - theirs and ours - then the conclusion emerges that among the NN persons who prepared the Draft of our future (God willing) Law on Spatial Planning - with the remark that the drafts of the set of new novated laws - part three - are more similar on amendments to the current Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Buildings, rather than on new laws - there is no person who is fundamentally familiar with the issues of spatial planning - which should be alarming, if you ask me, some red lights should be lit somewhere - and what will say that the awareness of spatial planning here - in these small, but therefore great, large and woefully untidy spaces of ours - does not reach beyond the creation, adoption and implementation of shameful planning documents, i.e. beyond mere simulation - beyond mere satisfaction of some kind, in essence freakish forms...
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"The Croatian Chamber of Architects directed", he says, "16. October (of October - op.a.) in 2023 to the Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Croatia Branko Bačić the document "10 points of the architectural profession for a new spatial planning system - the starting point for the new law on spatial planning" - and an appointment was requested for the presentation of the mentioned document to Minister Bačić, so that the architectural profession would justify its document and harmonize it with the competent minister - with the desire to this very document becomes the platform for drafting a new, modern Law on Spatial Planning".
The new, he says, modern Law on Spatial Planning... The idea, in principle, is to open the way to "digital transformation of business processes, modernization and increase in efficiency, quality and transparency of administrative services in the field of spatial planning" - which, of course, also implies the necessity of "transformation of spatial plans, i.e. the process of transitioning valid spatial plans from analogue to digital form".
In digital, he says, form...
Expect from the Chamber of Engineers of Montenegro, that is, from Comrade Novica, the president of the Professional Chamber of Architects at IKCG - and the cheerful group gathered around Comrade Novica - any effort (God forbid) aimed at raising awareness of the place and role of spatial planning in the system of functioning of the state - it would be illusory. The observation that something is rotten in the state of Denmark - behind which Comrade Novica would stand, supported by the cheerful group around him - would be quite enough, for a start.
Therefore, spatial planning is a complex, continuous process, please - the creation, adoption and implementation of spatial planning documents are only phases of that process - I hope that none of you will try to question this fact - but if you wish, unprovoked, to inform yourself about the ongoing processes that took place in the period from April 8, 2008, when the current Spatial Plan of Montenegro came into force (until 2020) - until December 21, 2018, when it came into force the Government's Decision on the creation of a (new) Spatial Plan of Montenegro (until 2040) enters into force - I'm afraid you won't find any information worth mentioning.
I would like to say that I would bet (for the fee from this text) that in the past period - since the day when the current Spatial Plan was adopted - little has changed regarding the approach to spatial planning in Montenegro. After all, how can one determine the fact that at the head of the team behind the Draft PPCG (until 2040), Mrs. So and So stands - and that in the capacity of a natural person? Is it possible that the heavy burden of spatial planning - and at the same time the Spatial Plan, as the crown of spatial planning in this unfortunate country - is carried on its heroic shoulders by a single physical person?
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In the neighboring and fraternal Republic of Croatia, within the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property - operates (i) the Institute for Spatial Development - within which there are two sectors - the Sector for spatial planning documents at the state level and the Sector for spatial research, sustainable spatial development and monitoring of the situation in space.
How far are we from the Institute for Spatial Development - if we start from the assumption that we still need an institution of that type - at least one, a state one, to begin with - let Minister Odović tell us...
Bonus video:
