Towards a territorial agenda for Galicia
Fundación RIA promotes a process of participation, debate and strategic planning to collectively shape the territorial model that will guide Galicia in the next decade.
This initiative arose from the need to establish common criteria to coordinate the actions of public and private agents, especially in the face of environmental, social and economic challenges and the sustainable development objectives for the 2030 horizon.
The agreement reached with the Xunta de Galicia and COAG in 2022 enables the promotion of this process through research work on public policies and available instruments and through the incorporation of existing knowledge by means of an expert committee. As the main objective of this initiative, the foundation seeks to launch a process of collective reflection on the future of Galicia, involving public and private agents, to generate a common framework for decision-making.
The work developed is based on seven years of experience of the Fundación RIA working in Galicia through pilot projects, as well as more than four decades of international experience of the institution's board of trustees. On this basis, in 2022 a process was initiated that combines its own research and the knowledge of an expert committee, with the use of qualitative analysis techniques or group dynamics, such as round table discussions. In this way, qualified information on the reality of Galicia has been obtained from multiple sources such as the Administration, research groups and civil society organizations, among others, to later process, analyze, compare and synthesize these contents.
Year
2022
Entities collaborating in the agreement
Xuntade Galicia - Consellería de Facenda e Administración Pública
Xuntade Galicia - Consellería de Medio Ambiente, Territorio e Vivenda
Colexio Oficial de Arquitectos de Galicia
Fundación RIA
Location
Galicia
Diagram of the process of actions in the project.
Own research
The research developed by the Fundación RIA team, with the participation of different departments of public administrations, addresses different issues:
Themes
Six regional, national and international strategic documents are analyzed to identify those issues of particular relevance in the public debate on the territory. Although there is a high level of consensus on the main challenges and objectives (climate change, equality, sustainable mobility, etc.), the proposed actions are general and vague. To overcome this lack of definition, it is necessary to focus the debate on the how, addressing how to implement actions to achieve the objectives set.
Administrative structures
The study of public administrations in Galicia, at different levels (autonomous, provincial, local, local entities, action groups, etc.), highlights the excessive fragmentation of competencies in territorial matters, which promotes a sectorial vision of the territory and a consequent lack of coordination of actions. However, certain institutions and figures are identified that could reformulate or strengthen their role in order to address current challenges more effectively, such as metropolitan areas or associations of municipalities.
Territorial instruments
Following the meetings held with the departments of the public administrations, a total of 34 instruments of various natures were analyzed: laws, plans, strategies, pacts, etc. From this work it should be noted that Galicia has sufficient instruments contemplated in the law. However, on numerous occasions the objectives set do not correspond to sufficient economic and human resources to effectively address the current challenges, and on few occasions do these instruments include mechanisms for monitoring, control and correction.
Instrument evaluation
Taking into account the diverse conditions of the instruments analyzed, an evaluation tool is designed in the form of a questionnaire, which aims to analyze in a simple way the plans, strategies and other actions promoted by the autonomous, provincial and local administrations. The tool raises questions on whether the instrument contains prior diagnosis, scheduling or mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation and correction, among others.
Rural Development Groups and Fishing Local Action Groups in Galicia.
Commonwealths in Galicia.
Integral Rehabilitation Areas in Galicia.
Sectorial Plan for the Management of Galician Business Areas.
External knowledge
The existing knowledge is incorporated in the first phase of the project through an expert committee appointed and coordinated by Fundación RIA and with the support of COAG. The 17 members of this committee, with extensive research and professional experience, contribute to the process through the preparation of recommendation reports, in which each expert defines the challenges and priorities currently facing Galicia and elaborates a series of strategic proposals that can be used for the design of specific instruments and policies. The approaches of the experts are shared in a series of round tables, which seek the meeting and exchange of views from each area of knowledge. Likewise, other personalities from civil society, representatives of sectoral organizations, professionals or administrations, participate in the roundtables to provide other perspectives close to reality.
Members of the expert committee
- Enrique Seoane Prado: architecture and planning (UDC and Concello de Santiago)
- Francisco Sineiro García: agricultural policy and research (USC and former Minister of Agriculture).
- Uxío Labarta Fernández: marine biology and fisheries policy (IIM and CSIC)
- Carlos Alberto Fernández López: Energy Transition (IDAE and Bioplat)
- Eduardo Corbelle Rico: territory and land use (USC)
- María Fandiño Iglesias: architecture and landscape (freelance professional)
- Juan Picos Martín: forestry planning (UVigo)
- Cristina García Fontán: architecture and landscape (UDC)
- María José Piñeira Mantiñán : geography and housing (USC)
- Juan Creus Andrade: architecture and public space (UDC)
- Carlota Eirós García: architecture and heritage (freelance professional)
- María Isabel Martínez Lage: infrastructures and mobility (UDC)
- Lourenzo Fernández Prieto: Agrarian and Rural History (USC and CISPAC)
- Juan Arredondo de la Fuente: strategic planning (EGAP and EOSA)
- Almudena Fernández Carballal: Urban Law (UDC)
- Alfonso Díaz Revilla: architecture and planning (UDC and EGAP)
- Ana Marquina Torres: planning and planning (independent professional)
Consensus points
The processing of the recommendation reports, combined with the reflections presented at the discussion tables, allows us to identify a set of main ideas and points of consensus among the different members of the expert committee. The eight points of general consensus are presented below:
On strategic planning: integrating the various sectorial visions, defining coherent areas with shared characteristics, challenges and objectives.
On a continuous urban-rural territorial model: structured through a green and blue infrastructure, integrating agroforestry and marine productive activities and responsible land use.
On the new governance model: that promotes inter-administrative cooperation and allows for the participation of stakeholders to achieve shared strategic objectives.
On decision-making and improvement of instruments: based on rigorous, detailed and updated information; through monitoring, control and evaluation of results.
On resource management in the territorial model: strengthening the value chain of primary sectors, based on a logic of multifunctionality, circularity and biodiversity protection.
On the protection of local identity and heritage: through the regeneration of urban and rural centers, through the reactivation of depopulated areas and ensuring fair access to housing.
On the proactive role in the energy transition: ensuring the participation of local communities, developing a rural-based circular economy, through energy saving measures and self-consumption.
On the role of public administration: strengthening its capacity and resources for planning, contracting and management; promoting training and applied research; applying incentives and accompanying measures.
Diagram of the identification of consensus points.
Conclusions
As a conclusion to the first phase of the research and integration of external knowledge process, twelve basic strategic principles are established, organized into three main groups. These principles form the structure of a base document that will guide subsequent phases of work. In later phases, the process will seek to open up to different sectors of society through round tables, trying to involve public administrations, professional organizations, third sector entities and the scientific community. In a complementary way and to feed the process, the integration of international knowledge will be sought through conference cycles that encourage debate with local experts.
A common framework for decision making
- Galicia must implement comprehensive strategic planning that goes beyond sectoral approaches and considers the interdependencies in the territory, responding to the common needs and interests of the different agents.
- Galicia must build a model that overcomes the urban-rural dichotomy, that consolidates the intermediate nuclei as elements of territorial balance, that articulates public services, mobility and communications in a balanced way.
- Galicia must articulate a multilevel governance that promotes understanding and inter-administrative collaboration and guarantees the participation of all agents of society.
- Galicia must base its decision making on rigorous data information supported by planning, consultation and contracting structures with sufficient resources and professionals.
Productive and circular nature as an engine of development
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Galicia must revitalize sustainable primary economies, which encourage investment, research and development, taking advantage of the increased awareness of food production and industrialization.
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Galicia must develop an integrated circular system that allows for sustainable waste, energy and mobility management, supported by public, partner and service infrastructures.
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Galicia should promote applied research and training, which will boost the development of agroforestry and marine economies, integrating programs and results with the commercial sector.
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Galicia must structure its territory through a green and blue infrastructure that forms the basis of agroforestry and marine economies, ensuring biodiversity and defining different levels of protection.
Basing the future on the regeneration of existing assets
- Galicia must implement comprehensive strategic planning that goes beyond sectoral approaches and considers the interdependencies in the territory, responding to the common needs and interests of the different agents.
- Galicia must build a model that overcomes the urban-rural dichotomy, that consolidates the intermediate nuclei as elements of territorial balance, that articulates public services, mobility and communications in a balanced way.
- Galicia must articulate a multilevel governance that promotes understanding and inter-administrative collaboration and guarantees the participation of all agents of society.
- Galicia must base its decision making on rigorous information and data, supported by planning, consultation and contracting structures with sufficient and professional resources.
