Current Situation in Coastal Policy Directon and Coordination

National policy for the coastal development

Croatia is still in an early phase of establishing a coherent institutional framework and overall capacity for national and regional development planning, including the development of coastal region. Institutional structures are still undeveloped and development capacity is weak and fragmented.

The most relevant programme for the coastal region has been undertaken under the lead of the Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction (recently transformed into Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning), that undertook an initiative to delineate the framework for the development of islands through the Island Act that regulates the issues of the island development. The strategic planning office of the Republic of Croatia co-ordinates the preparation of strategic guidelines and development documents of the Government as well as the development strategy of the Republic of Croatia “Croatia in the Twenty – First century”. Within the scope the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning’s work there are numerous legal acts and programmes dealing with the field, ranging from a general document that tackles the issues of the spatial management of the Croatian territory (and a coast) to the Physical Planning Act to the list of Acts considering mostly the question of protection of the sea and coastal environment. However, there is no unanimous strategy or act that directly tackles the problem of coastal management. The latest intervention for the prevention of the coastal degradation is again only a restriction that does not include content elements of programme for development. There is a new act on building at the coast that imposes upon every intervention a set-back of 1000m from the coast; this regulation is supervised directly by the Ministry of the Environment and Physical Planning.

Local and regional self-governments are confronted with numerous obstacles to plan and implement development scenarios of its communities. First, there is no concrete guidance upon which they can base their scenarios. Secondly, though given the high level of responsibility to make decisions on activities of regional and local importance, local and regional self-governments do not have the institutional and human capacities for a more integrated and comprehensive approach that would result in firm development concepts for their communities. Most of the time, they are lost in the loop of regulations and restrictions that they are obliged to precede, and a final result does not bring positive changes for the economic as well as spatial development.

Activities by other parties at the Croatian coast

The issue of the development of the Croatian coast raised the interest for the international development and funding institutions world wide such as USAID (United States Agency for the International Development) and World Bank. They initiate and support a range of activities aimed to develop competitiveness strategies for the Croatian tourism industry, with objectives related to support the democratization process as well as creating potentials for the investments. In addition, United Nation Programme for the Environmental protection –Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) established Priority Actions Programme/Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC) in Split. Twenty Mediterranean countries as well as the European Union make up the MAP, and their common objective is the creation of a healthier Mediterranean environment, resting on the principle of sustainable development. The Centre has built up a global reputation due to its expertise in Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM).

External conditions

This is an experimental project which seeks to support the local coastal communities by putting in place a spatial development framework which meets the needs of the community – and is based upon good practice drawn from the experience of successful experiences worldwide, using the expertise of Berlage Institute. In so doing, it steps outside the traditional paradigm of topdown planning and is based upon a broad consensus and partnership built around shared priorities. The success of the project will depend fully upon the willingness of all of the key players to change traditional patterns of decision-making. This will pose challenges to all of the parties concerned, including the project team.

Potential risks

The project introduces a new means of influencing a public sphere. The approach which proposed is constructed on a precondition that spatial changes are the product of collective intelligence, representing the means of the democratization of a society. For that reason, involvement of civil society in a process of coastal development is crucial to create a common framework within which “top-down” (national and sectoral) and “bottom-up” processes (area-based development needs) can connect.

However, it is important for the project to start from where coastal communities are today – and to build upon the very valuable experiences which have involved locally based partnerships in the preparation phase. Even though civil society, at the most locations, is presented through civic associations, and sometimes organized in a form of registered non-governmental organization, a number of them are not capable to perform a task a project pose them to do. That is why a constitutive part of coordination team is Platforma 9.81, a NGO with years of experience in a research and action in architecture which has already performed actions aimed to open a dialogue with the public sphere. Platforma 9.81 would take part in the education of local authorities and non-governmental organizations and produce the framework needed for research.

Possible adverse effects

A new model for the process of coastal development would be realized through the collaborative project with all actors included in processes of planning and building in Croatia, ranging from architects, local community and non-governmental organizations, to investor and government officials. Every participant in the project should perform its traditional role in an altered manner: architects should adjust their work to accept and formulate the final design in a close cooperation with civic society, represented through the NGO; self-governments are preceding all the legally obliged procedures for the production of plans and tenders for investor within the same communication framework. It is also possible that the whole process becomes fragmented, mirroring that of recent practice. Therefore, the Berlage Institute and Croatian Architects Association, through its CoastLine Office, would supervise the development of the processes at the chosen locations and steer it in a proposed direction.