AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.04.2002, Page 46

Helstu heimildir:
The practice of Strategic Environmental Asssessment (1999):
Riki Therivel and Maria Rosário Partidário.
Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment. Volume 1.
Environmental Impact assessment: Process, Methods and
Potential (1999).
Environmental Impact Assessment
and its Influence on the Develop-
ment Plan for Reykjavík 2001 - 2024
Halldóra Hreggviösdóttir, MSC economic engineer and
geologist; Sigurborg Kr. Hannesdóttir, MSC tourism con-
sultant and sociologist, at ALTA; Ingibjörg R.
Guðlaugsdóttir, MSC planner at the Planning and Build-
ing Department of Reykjavík.
Preface
The Development Plan for Reykjavík has, for the first
time, undergone a formal environmental assessment.
This article describes the goal of environmental impact
assessment for development plans and the main find-
ings concerning the Development Plan of Reykjavík
2001 -2024. It also describes the experience of the envi-
ronmental assessment team of Reykjavík in using the
methodology of environmental assessment concurrent-
ly with planning work.
The development of environmental impact assess-
ment as a methodology has been developing during the
last decade. Experience has shown that little leeway
has been given to changes on certain undertakings
when their environmental impact is assessed after their
initiation, because so many binding decisions have
already been taken. With environmental impact at the
planning stage, decisions regarding the environment
are being moved higher in the decision process, where
flexibility is greater.
What is environmental assessment?
Environmental assessment is a rather new methodolo-
gy at the planning level intended to improve discussion
of environmental impacts in the same way as environ-
mental assessment does for individual projects, only
from a different angle, and thus contributing to sustain-
able development. The goal of environmental assess-
ment is to increase public participation in the decision
making process and to try to ensure that environmental
impacts are dealt with earlier in the process.
The goal of environmental assessment is really two-
fold. A legal requirement is being fulfilled, although cur-
rent Planning and Building Law does not mandate an
environmental assessment to be created for develop-
ment plans. Secondly, the aim is to ensure a more
effective process and more transparent decision mak-
ing in planning, as this methodology demands a struc-
tured approach.
Environmental assessment is a process, divided into
several phases, carried out alongside the planning
process. Different choices are looked at regarding poli-
cies, main goals or specific undertakings and the rea-
soning behind these choices. It is also looked into how
these choices relate to the concept of sustainability.
In order for environmental assessment to be used in
full extent in planning, it should be carried out alongside
the Development Plan. Factors to be looked at are:
• Does the Development Plan contribute to sustainable
development?
• How do goals and objectives relate to sustainable
development?
• Are there arguments to be found for individual proj-
ects and is the most sustainable alternative chosen?
The difference between an environ-
mental assessment of a development
plan and a project
It is important to make a distinction between the envi-
ronmental assessment of a development plan (regula-
tion no. 73/1997) and the environmental assessment
for a specific project (regulation no. 106/2000). The
greatest difference is that in the environmental assess-
ment for a project, the effect of a certain development
on the environment is being looked at. In the environ-
mental assessment at a planning stage, the effects of
policies, goals and intended actions of the
Development Plan on the environment in a general
sense are being assessed, including arguments for the
underlying decisions of the Plan.
How was the environmental rimpact of
the development plan of Reykjavík
1001-1014 assessed?
During the assessment, scales were defined (see
Diagram) to assess the impact of policies, goals and in-
tended actions, projects and major changes in land use
with regard to sustainable development. Sustainability
aspects that were looked at related to economy, envi-
ronmental and social impact. The scales take notice of
laws and regulations, but where such framework did
not exist, the City of Reykjavík provided the emphasis
and the scales to measure the impact.
The Development Plan for Reykjavík 2001-2024 was
then assessed with regard to these scales and impact
on the following issues: (see diagram). With regard to
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