This study aims at identifying on a concrete example the possible transfer of methods from strategic spatial planning to lower scales of planning like urban programming or operational planning of construction sites. Strategic spatial planning is a participatory and open method establishing the basis for cooperation between public and private stakeholders to achieve what is defined by said stakeholders as the best evolution for the territory it is dealing with, it relies on tools and processes like territorial diagnosis, thematic workshops and roundtables; Objectives are more qualitatively than quantitatively defined to allow flexibility to adapt to internal and external changes. This paper considers the territory of Lyon conurbation, France, as its territory of focus and particularly the redevelopment project of its central business district and multimodal hub, Part-Dieu. The planning of Lyon conurbation was in the 80s at the vanguard of strategic planning in France. Driven by Lyon urban planning agency and Grand Lyon, the local authority in charge of the area, under the pressure of local economic actors, Lyon conurbation acquired and integrated new tools and methods from strategic spatial planning. The hypothesis of this study is that, from then on, strategic planning methods and processes got transferred from the field of pure strategic spatial planning to the lower notches of the decision-making chain leading to the realization of a project: the stage of the programming of a neighborhood – the Part-Dieu district – and the stage of the operational planning of a construction or redevelopment operation. This study puts forward the following reasoning to explain this transfer of methods: an acculturation process to the collaborative and qualitative methods of strategic spatial planning took place in the territory of Lyon conurbation. It happened between the corporate cultures of spatial planning and those of urban program design and construction operation management. However, more than a way to really involve all stakeholders in the decision-making process in a bottom-up approach, this study suggests that the use of these methods at the stage of construction/redevelopment operation management is more of a facade to make stakeholders better accept decisions already taken by experts and/or public authorities. One could talk about a top-down approach disguised as a bottom-up approach.

This research explores the challenges the Namibian government faces in the planning process when implementing policies for strategic spatial planning (SSP). The study considers the entire Namibian planning process which primarily is governed top-down but has since independence adopted policies to decentralize power. Thus, this process has been slow and resulted in constant changes in governance settings and responsibilities. The aim of the research is, therefore, to assess the evolving nature of the governance structure in Namibia’s SSP system, and to enhance its impact on postcolonial planning strategies against urban sprawl. The rapid development of urban sprawl has been selected because it is one of the major contemporary issues for SSP practices, extending across multiple jurisdictions and demanding stakeholder coordination. The support question focuses on the nature of Namibia's governance structure in SSP and how it has evolved from the colonial to postcolonial eras. The following research questions explore the effectiveness of spatial strategies for urban sprawl and the communication links within the governance system, as well as the impact of statutory plans for SSP. Together they aim to answer if Namibia is facing challenges in the implementation of SSP, and if so, what can be done to improve the situation.  The methods for data collection consist of semi-structured interviews and a document study. The data enables a comprehensive understanding of the Namibian planning system related to the research questions. The results are analyzed through a theoretical framework with three main themes: land use intentions, governance processes, and external conditions. Identifying relevant planning strategies, hierarchies, and power relations. The empirical material consists of 11 interviews. Six of these are made with officials from all planning levels; the national, regional, and local, and the others by key informants. Key informants are experts on Namibia’s planning system and political climate. This is complemented by an analysis of public planning documents used for spatial planning, referred to by the respondents.  The result shows that decentralization from the national to subnational planning levels has taken place to a certain extent, although the autonomy among local and regional planning authorities is limited. This is because of the national government's reluctance to surrender control over the economy as well as due to a local lack of knowledge about strategy-making for land use. Furthermore, the main issues are the lack of strategic plans that coordinates and guides SSP, weak communication links between government levels, and the gap between political initiatives for decentralization and the subnational demand. The lack of communication links affects the governance process between planning levels as well as the coordination inside each government. This prolongs decision-making and connects to the gap between the national intentions for decentralization and the weak local demand for it. Moreover, the partial decentralization has confused stakeholders by delegating responsibility without the actual mandate to act, leading to limited strategies and poor execution of actions against urban sprawl. External pressures from international agencies influencing the governance process also add to the challenges for postcolonial planning. The thesis suggests several improvement opportunities to increase the implementation rate of spatial strategies. These include strengthened support systems from the national to the subnational level, alignment among strategic plans, and stronger communication links to improve governance processes. External pressures could become a more rewarding asset if international involvement began to support local knowledge instead of channeling Western ideals. These understandings matter because they provide theories of the urban with a global south narrative instead of the dominant Western perspective of governance, decentralization, and SSP.

Studien utforskar hur ideal från den deliberativa demokratiteorin speglas i ett svenskt planeringsfall som går att definiera som ett informellt samarbetsnätverk, eller ’soft space in planning’. Syftet med arbetet är att delge en ökad kunskap kring den problematik som kan uppstå när aktörer å ena sidan vill effektivisera planeringsformerna men å andra sidan också måste säkerställa att de demokratiska grunderna vidhålls. Arbetet utgår ifrån deltagandet i och observerandet utav ett exploateringsprojekt i en svensk kommun där kommunen tillsammans med en byggaktör och arkitekt inlett en process utanför den lagstadgade planprocessen för att komma fram till en gemensam vision. Observationerna kompletteras med en intervjustudie där en informant från respektive aktör intervjuats. Sammanfattningsvis visade resultatet att en av grundprinciperna för processen var att skapa en arena för öppen diskussion angående de värden som önskades inkorporeras i platsens utformning. Under processens gång fanns det moment som upprätthöll de deliberativa idealen genom att tillåta alla aktörers representanter en plats i samtalet. Däremot innehöll processen också moment som kunde uppfattas som utmanande för några deltagare vilket riskerade att hämma deras åsiktsutryckande. Sammantaget gav deltagarna en positiv bild av processens genomförande och utfall även om den i vissa aspekter lämnade lite att önska gällande de deliberativa idealens säkerställande. Detta till trots argumenterar arbetet att utfallet kan anses stå på demokratiska grunder även om inte alla deliberativa ideal uppfyllts fullständigt. / The study explores how ideals from deliberative democracy theory are reflected in a Swedish planning case that can be defined as an informal cooperation network, or ‘soft space in planning’. The purpose of the work is to share increased knowledge about the problems that may arise when actors on the one hand want to streamline planning methods, but on the other hand also must maintain the democratic foundations. The work is based on participation in and observation of a development project in a Swedish municipality where the municipality, together with a developer and architect, initiated a process outside the statutory planning process to arrive at a common vision. The observations are supplemented by an interview study in which an informant from each actor was interviewed. In summary, the results showed that one of the basic principles of the process was to create an arena for open discussion regarding the values that were desired to be incorporated into the design of the site. During the process, there were moments that maintained the deliberative ideals by allowing everyone a place in the conversation. However, the process also contained elements that could be perceived as challenging for some participants, which risked inhibiting their expression of opinion. Overall, the participants gave a positive picture of the process's implementation and outcome, even though it left a little to be desired in confirming some aspects of the deliberative ideals. Despite this, the study argues that the outcome can be considered to be on democratic grounds even if not all deliberative ideals were fulfilled completely.

Notre thèse a pour objectif de déterminer la nature des liens entre la multiplication des processus de macro-régionalisation, dans un contexte de mondialisation, et le renouvellement des politiques d’aménagement du territoire à travers la mise en place de nouvelles formes de coopération décentralisée entre villes et territoires. Notre projet de recherche cherche ainsi à établir comment la régionalisation permet la mise en place d’une gouvernance à niveaux multiples mettant en relation des acteurs territoriaux, à différents échelons de décision (supranational, national et infranational) dans le but de faire face à la complexité grandissante des problèmes actuels à l’échelle mondiale. Parmi ces projets régionaux qui émergent dans plusieurs parties du monde, nous avons choisi le Partenariat euro-méditerranéen comme cas d'étude en s'intéressant de manière particulière aux projets et programmes de coopération décentralisée et transfrontalière qui se mettent en place autour de la Méditerranée et qui mettent en relation plusieurs villes et régions riveraines. Afin de répondre à ces questions, nous avons décliné notre argumentation en plusieurs axes de réflexion. Un premier axe de réflexion tourne autour de la nature du projet régional euro-méditerranéen et de son implication au niveau des stratégies territoriales principales. Un deuxième axe concerne le contenu et les processus de mise en œuvre des programmes et projets de coopération décentralisée et transfrontalière et leur pertinence au niveau du développement local des territoires du Sud. Un troisième axe s’intéresse au rôle de l’État central en face du développement de ces initiatives qui le contourne. Enfin, un quatrième axe de réflexion concerne l’attitude de l’échelon local par rapport à ces initiatives qui l’interpellent et le sollicitent en tous sens. / The objective of our thesis is to determine the nature of the relation between two ongoing phenomena, i.e. the development of macro-regions in the context of globalization, on one hand, and the revival of spatial planning policies through the rise of new forms of crossborder cooperation between cities and local authorities and the preparation of regional policies related to transport and environment, on the other. Our main argument is that Regionalization encourages the development of a multi-level governance approach that provides a platform for interaction between various territorial actors, located at different decision-making level (supranational, national and local) in order to face the growing complexity of Globalization and its challenges. We selected the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership as a case study out of a number of world regional projects and paid special attention to crossborder and decentralized cooperation initiatives that are being implemented around the Mediterranean Sea and that join together Mediterranean cities and regions. Our arguments are presented along 4 main sets of questions. A first series of questions revolves around the nature of the Euro-Mediterranean regional project and its relevance for strategic spatial planning. A second set of questions is concerned with the content and the implementation processes of crossborder and decentralized cooperation programmes and their relevance to the local development of territories, mainly located in the South of the Mediterranean. A third set of questions is concerned with the way the Central State is facing such initiatives that are ultimately aiming to limit its authority. Finally, a fourth series of questions is interested in the position of the local level that is the main beneficiary of such initiatives.

Débat public, participation, délibération, autant de termes utilisés pour parler de normes et de dispositifs qui participeraient au nouvel « impératif délibératif » (Blondiaux et Sintomer 2002). Ce mémoire présente une analyse du débat public sur le plan d'urbanisme de Montréal avec un schéma d'analyse inspiré de celui de Simard et Fourniau (2007). Notre discussion du processus de débat porte non seulement sur la phase formelle des audiences publiques, mais aussi sur les étapes de concertation en amont et sur divers processus plus ou moins publicisés en aval. Ceci permet une réflexion d'ordre procédural plus riche qui considère la diversité des dispositifs dans une perspective de complémentarité. Pour chercher des effets du débat public sur le plan d'urbanisme, nous adoptons le parti de la congruence (Offner 1993), ce qui nous amène à une analyse de l'interaction entre des dynamiques contextuelles et des mobilisations des participants au débat. Certaines de ces congruences concordent avec des modifications au plan d'urbanisme. Notre étude propose aussi des implications du contexte particulier de la nouvelle ville de Montréal (avec la création des arrondissements) sur le contenu du débat public, sur certaines de ses manifestations procédurales ainsi que sur sa portée. Notre dernier chapitre montre que la dynamique du débat public en aval, dans la phase de mise en oeuvre du plan d'urbanisme, se déploie beaucoup plus dans les débats sur les grands projets que sur les mécanismes prévus à cette fin, qui comportent des embûches de par leur faible publicité et le caractère technique du processus réglementaire. Dans l'ensemble, notre étude met en lumière l'importance du contexte : autant le processus de débat que ses effets s'inscrivent dans des dynamiques contextuelles. / In this master thesis, the mechanisms of public debate used to discuss the urban master plan of Montreal are analysed with a framework inspired by Simard and Fourniau (2007), which contains a serie of deliberative criterion. Public debate is used as a terminology to include diverse possible mechanisms and norms of debate and of public participation. Our discussion covers not only the formal phase of the debate (in the public hearings) but also the informal forums. We conclude that this allows for a richer procedural analysis based on a perspective of complementarity between diverse mechanisms of public debate. In the search for effects of the public debate on the urban master plan, we found a number of cases where contextual dynamics interacted with the demands of participants. These « congruences » (Offner 1993) concurred with the evolution of the planning document. This master thesis also presents interesting findings related to constraints on public debate brought about by the particular political and institutional context of Montreal. The coordination between the scale of the central city and the newly constituted boroughs had implications on the content of the debate, on procedural components as well as on its impact in the plan and the implementation phase. This suggests that studies of public debate and of public participation events should consider as an important dimension the contextual dynamics.

Débat public, participation, délibération, autant de termes utilisés pour parler de normes et de dispositifs qui participeraient au nouvel « impératif délibératif » (Blondiaux et Sintomer 2002). Ce mémoire présente une analyse du débat public sur le plan d'urbanisme de Montréal avec un schéma d'analyse inspiré de celui de Simard et Fourniau (2007). Notre discussion du processus de débat porte non seulement sur la phase formelle des audiences publiques, mais aussi sur les étapes de concertation en amont et sur divers processus plus ou moins publicisés en aval. Ceci permet une réflexion d'ordre procédural plus riche qui considère la diversité des dispositifs dans une perspective de complémentarité. Pour chercher des effets du débat public sur le plan d'urbanisme, nous adoptons le parti de la congruence (Offner 1993), ce qui nous amène à une analyse de l'interaction entre des dynamiques contextuelles et des mobilisations des participants au débat. Certaines de ces congruences concordent avec des modifications au plan d'urbanisme. Notre étude propose aussi des implications du contexte particulier de la nouvelle ville de Montréal (avec la création des arrondissements) sur le contenu du débat public, sur certaines de ses manifestations procédurales ainsi que sur sa portée. Notre dernier chapitre montre que la dynamique du débat public en aval, dans la phase de mise en oeuvre du plan d'urbanisme, se déploie beaucoup plus dans les débats sur les grands projets que sur les mécanismes prévus à cette fin, qui comportent des embûches de par leur faible publicité et le caractère technique du processus réglementaire. Dans l'ensemble, notre étude met en lumière l'importance du contexte : autant le processus de débat que ses effets s'inscrivent dans des dynamiques contextuelles. / In this master thesis, the mechanisms of public debate used to discuss the urban master plan of Montreal are analysed with a framework inspired by Simard and Fourniau (2007), which contains a serie of deliberative criterion. Public debate is used as a terminology to include diverse possible mechanisms and norms of debate and of public participation. Our discussion covers not only the formal phase of the debate (in the public hearings) but also the informal forums. We conclude that this allows for a richer procedural analysis based on a perspective of complementarity between diverse mechanisms of public debate. In the search for effects of the public debate on the urban master plan, we found a number of cases where contextual dynamics interacted with the demands of participants. These « congruences » (Offner 1993) concurred with the evolution of the planning document. This master thesis also presents interesting findings related to constraints on public debate brought about by the particular political and institutional context of Montreal. The coordination between the scale of the central city and the newly constituted boroughs had implications on the content of the debate, on procedural components as well as on its impact in the plan and the implementation phase. This suggests that studies of public debate and of public participation events should consider as an important dimension the contextual dynamics.