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Small Islands Voice Global Forum
Time to turn the tables: Put people at the forefront of planning
The need for communities to take the lead in planning their own destiny was echoed in many of the responses to the article ‘Communities planning their future in a post-tsunami world’. As Kate Morioka from Australia put it, ‘It is time to turn the tables and place “people” at the forefront of land use planning’.
Kate Morioka’s full response is as follows: Hello SIV Global! I found this story fascinating. I work as a social planner for a local government in Australia and community visioning is an integral part of my work. Social planning is a way of ensuring that land use is sustainable and meets the needs of communities. Here in Australia, social planning is definitely becoming a critical component of planning. In 1997, the Queensland State Government adopted a new planning legislation, which aims to provide for ecologically sustainable development. Until recently, little attention was given to the visions and needs of people who were directly affected by the changes enforced by so-called ‘expert planners’. It is time to turn the tables and place 'people' at the forefront of land use planning. It's definitely wonderful to hear that SIDS are using techniques like community visioning to better manage natural hazards and physical development. However, we must remember that community visioning requires the support of governments and private sector to ensure that proactive action will be taken to meet their visions for the future. More importantly, let the governments and businesses realise that you don't have to look far to get the best solutions: it's the knowledge and the experience of locals that make a place a great place to live.
And from Fiji (Pacific), Sunia Waqainabete adds: Thank you for the information and sure we will try out some Community Visioning in our community work in here.
Seremaia Tuqiri, also from Fiji, responded to the issue of post-tsunami rebuilding: Hi. This post-tsunami article provided a lot of food for thought, particularly when you consider coastal communities whose livelihoods have been entirely destroyed and who have to start again from scratch.
With respect to post-tsunami tourism coastal development, I don't think tsunamis will discourage development. Of course there will always be an element of fear, even if people don't want to say so, but "ocean view villa" dreams I suspect will override this fear. The element of risk is something that many people can or have to live with, because they must be allowed to carry on with their lives the best way they know.
Should we just continue to go on the same way as before? I'd say a qualified yes, knowing that as a result of the tsunami, systems should be in place that will ensure that we can get a fair bit of warning, and that infrastructure too are in place to provide the evacuation services necessary to save lives. This is not about just saving an industry like tourism, it's also about coastal communities, many of whose members provide the bulk of the services that make tourism a viable industry.
The impact of the tsunami was not 'localised' to just two or three countries. It has become a global issue in terms of impacts. The world is not such a big place anymore particularly when disasters of such magnitude hit us. The impact of the tsunami showed how countries can come together and in effect become one global community, rising above differences in religion, race, and politics. It shows what the human spirit is capable of without the baggage that we carry daily.
And finally Richard Wachter from Cook Islands (Pacific) thinks that recent hurricanes in the Cook Islands should encourage people to rebuild stronger and further inland. Here in the Cook Islands we have just been visited by Hurricane Meena, which hit the north side of Rarotonga our capital island and caused damage right through the group as it passed between islands. Fortunately no lives were lost; just a lot of mess to be cleaned up. When this happens people pull together and help to restore lost services. We are almost back to normal after one week. I am sure it has made us all think hard about our fragility in the face of global warming. A wake-up call to build better and stronger and move inland away from danger!
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