Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - EN

Stakeholders and Participation
Student No: 130443540
Module: TCP8929
MSc Planning for Developing Countries
Architecture, Planning & Landscape
Newcastle University
27th
May 2014

Module TCP 8929 Stakeholders & Participation Student no: 130443540
1
1 THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTICIPATION
A stakeholder is any individual or group who has a stake in the outcome of a project or work, as
it may influence or be influenced by the project itself (Freeman, 1984).
According to Arnstein (1969), there are different types of public participation depending on the
level at which the public is involved. Arnstein’s ladder starts at the bottom considering the types
of participation where citizen are not really participating in anything, they are rather barely
informed and their opinion is basically not taken into account. In the middle of the ladder, we
can find the most common types of participation, where the public is informed about what is
happening in the decision-making process and sometimes it also gets involved, but still their
opinion, even once gathered, is not certain to be taken into consideration. The final steps
represent the most comprehensive type of public participation, where they are actually involved
in the decision-making process and their opinion is highly considered and evaluated. Overall,
there is no right or wrong type of participation; it rather depends on the situation and on how
participation is perceived in a country or among a certain culture. However, the concept of
participation and stakeholders engagement has increasingly been identified as a key to success
both within private and government sectors (Healey, 1997; Maginn, 2007; Bonoli, 2010; Van
Berkel et al., 2012).
Figure 1. Ladder of public participation, Arstein (1969)

2
There are two basic streams of thought regarding the importance of stakeholder participation.
One is based on the democratic notion that all interested parties have the right to be involved
and to express their opinions regarding any project or regulation that affects them (Healey, 1997;
Driskell, 2002; Healey, 2003).
The other is based on the assumption that public participation can help to improve the
effectiveness of the regulations, as the involvement of the public provides information, arising
from local knowledge that planners could not have (Healey, 1997; Driskell, 2002; Healey, 2003).
Overall, stakeholder participation would add an advantage and an improvement in planning as:
 It is a fundamental element of democracy
 It helps to address the concerns of all interested parties;
 It identifies alternative actions and ideas to be taken into account;
 It provides a means to identify and resolve problems before the plans are finalised;
 It focuses on matters of interest;
 It enhances credibility of the planner with the public;
 It helps to reduce the opposition;
 It reduces the level of misunderstanding / misinformation about a project;
 It helps to meet government requirements for planning and documentation;
 It creates a better understanding of the project and its objectives;
 It provides more sources / bodies of knowledge, skills and information.
2 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
Stakeholder engagement strategy can be planned according to five key points (UNEP, 2005), as
follows:
1. The first key point considers the project’s strategic objectives and how they connect to
stakeholders and specific issues. It also determines an initial definition of priorities in
terms of stakeholders and issues for further analysis.
2. The second key point considers the different levels of involvement and the analysis of
existing relationships, available resources and organizational links. It is also used to select
the representatives of the stakeholders and to determine what kind of relationship is to
develop with them.
3. The third key point determines internal and external expertise and defines how to ensure
that all stakeholders have the opportunity to participate and have an effective part in the
process.
4. The fourth key point is dedicated to the various engagement techniques and to design an
approach that suits the needs of a specific situation and pursue the goals.
5. Finally, the fifth key point determines how to follow up the outcomes of engagement and
how to ensure that stakeholders feel secure about the quality of your efforts.

3
3 CONTEXT
Villa Franca is a historic building dating back to 1650, belonged for centuries to the Montaldi
family, descendants of Count Franco Montaldi, feudal lord of the Rampallo village, near the town
of Assisi in the Marche. The villa is of high historical and cultural value and has always been a
reference point for the inhabitants of Rampallo. For decades, the Montaldi family has permitted
de facto public access, allowing the residents of Rampallo and the surrounding areas to enjoy the
woodland area and the gardens that surround the villa. Thanks to this initiative, Villa Franca has
become a meeting point for families and a green cradle to escape from the usual urban areas.
Moreover, it was recently discovered that the woodland surrounding Villa Franca hosts a rare
species of lizard (Algyroides fitzingeri) that is possible to find just in a few limited areas of Italy
and therefore has been classified as an endangered species by the WWF. In a wider context, Villa
Franca and its gardens are located near the river Manno, one of the most important water bodies
in the area; while the other side overlooks a residential complex of public houses built in the 80s
to cope with the growing demand for affordable houses. Furthermore, the villa is situated in the
part of Rampallo that is closer to the major highway linking the area to the rest of Italy (about 1
mile away), making it a pleasant place to stop for travellers.
Villa Franca has recently been purchased by a private developer from Northern Italy, Mario Rossi,
owner of several residential estates in Liguria, Veneto and Abruzzo. After the purchase of Villa
Franca and of the adjacent woodland area, Mario Rossi has proposed a project to the local
authorities for the construction of a luxury residential estate complex together with a spa and a
private golf course. The realisation of this project involves the demolition of Villa Franca and the
removal of the woodland that surrounds it to make way for the new structures.
The project in question will have to be taken into consideration by the Council of Rampallo and
the Regional authorities to verify its appropriateness. In this regard, local authorities have
requested this report on the involvement of all the stakeholders that could be interest in and by
this project.
Image 1. Concept of Villa Franca and Rampallo – Pictures only for illustrative purposes.

4
4 WHO ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS?
McElroy and Mills (2000) define stakeholders of a real estate development project, as people or
organisations with a stake on the completion of the project or on the alterations affecting the
environment.
According to Gibson (2000), stakeholders can be classified as internal or external, depending on
the relation that links them to who is proposing a development (in this specific situation, a private
developer).
Within internal stakeholders we can identify those who are officially part of the development
project, whereas external stakeholders are those who can be influenced or can influence the
development project in question (Gibson, 2000).
Considering the prosed development, the background and the context in which the area of
interest is located, several stakeholders have been identified and have been subsequently
divided into categories based on prioritisation and level of involvement, in accordance with
Gibson (2000) classification and adapting from Cleland concepts (1999).
Figure 2. Potential stakeholders for a real estate development project

5
INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Project Team  Developer, Mario Rossi
 Architect, Rita Franzullo
 Engineer Office, Eng. Pampiero
Shareholders  Golfando Corp. - golf course management
 Mens Sana Inc. - spa management
 ImmobilDream Inc. - estate management
 Security Check Ltd - vigilance and security systems
management
Financial Supporters  Sulis Investment Holding
Suppliers  EdilFix Ltd - luxury building materials
 ArtisanWood Ltd – luxury fixtures
 Thermox Ltd – luxury bathroom fixtures
 In-Grassati Ltd – artificial turf and lawn ornaments
 Electron Ltd – electrical equipment, lifts and automatic gates
Internal stakeholders can be considered as one single group, since they all are supporters of the
development and they all seek to complete the development with cost-effective and no-time-
consuming methods, plus they all aim towards maxim profit from the development. Conflict may
arise with the local community and the associations (Caputo, 2012).
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Local and National Authority  Region
 Province
 Council
 ANAS (motorway management)
 EcoMarche (waste management)
Political Organisations  Lega Rampallo
 S.E.R. Sinistra Ecologia Rampallo
Social Organisations  Marche Golfers Association
 Rampallo Youth & Scouts Association
 Rampallo Seniors Association
Environmental Organisations  WWF Italy
Local Community  Families and Children
 Adults in working age (employed and unemployed)
 Retired people
 Woodland and gardens users
 Villa Franca users
 Small enterprises
 Local competitors

6
The Region has jurisdiction over the protection of historical and cultural heritage, hence its
agenda focuses on the protection of cultural assets, in the context represented by Villa Franca;
in addition, the Region also wants to maintain the citizens’ political consensus. High risk of
conflict created by the demolition of Villa Franca.
The Province has jurisdiction over environmental protection and preservation, hence its agenda
focuses on the conservation of the woodland and on maintaining the water quality of the river
Manno; in addition, the Province also wants to maintain the citizens’ political consensus. High
risk of conflict created by the eradication of the woodland and by a possible contamination of
the river Manno’s waters.
The Council is responsible for the preparation of master plan and for the authorisation of new
projects; hence its agenda focuses on ensuring that the requirements imposed by the master
plan are met. In addition, the Council also has an interest in creating new job opportunities for
its citizens, to increase the number of valuable structures within its boundaries and to maintain
the political consensus of the local population. Potential conflict could arise in the final stage, as
the Council has the ultimate right to give or deny permission.
The operators of motorway services and waste management have a vested interest in keeping
their workload to current levels or increasing it as less as possible, to maintain low expenditures
and costs and to maintain high quality standards of their services. Potential conflicts may arise if
their workload increases beyond their capacities.
The political parties have the sole and only purpose of obtaining electoral support from the
population. In particular, Lega Rampallo has in its agenda as primary interests the creation of jobs
opportunities, an increase in economic activities and in the number of services in Rampallo,
enhancing its self-sufficiency. On the other hand, the S.E.R. has as its priority employment
increase and the protection of the municipal territory, including the maintenance of Villa Franca
and its woodland. Various conflict could arise within these political organisation as they already
conflict with each other.
Social associations in Rampallo and the surrounding areas have a specific interest related to their
activity and are divided into: Golfers Association, who want to extend their network and have
new golf courses in the area and nearby. Scout Association of Youth and Oratory, who have a
keen interest in environmental protection and conservation of green areas within their
municipality. Rampallo Seniors Association, who have an interest in maintaining their historical-
cultural values intact and maintain wide access to the green areas of Rampallo. These groups may
conflict with each other, since they have different interests and they might also conflict with
other stakeholders who pursue opposing interests.
WWF Italy has a primary interest in the conservation and protection of endangered lizard and its
habitat, which must remain intact and undisturbed. High risk of conflict with the developer and
the Project Team, since they want to disrupt the lizard’s habitat.

7
The local community consists of several groups with mixed interests:
 Senior citizens convey in the Rampallo Seniors Association;
 Families and Children, who have an interest in maintaining access to the wooded area,
gardens and Villa Franca, also maintaining a good quality of life;
 Adults in working age, who have a primary interest in seeing the creation of new
employment and maintain good standards of living;
 Active users of the forest, gardens and Villa Franca, who have the primary interest to see
maintained the current state of things.
All these groups may conflict with the developer, as the majority would prefer to maintain the
state of facts and not lose their main historical and cultural value (Connor, 1988; Dorshimer,
1996). Nevertheless, they could also conflict with each other, as most of the people in working
age are unemployed and would probably welcome a development that offers new job
opportunities.
5 ENGAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
To achieve stakeholders’ approval it will be necessary to consider and consistently evaluate their
interests and their needs specifically (Caputo, 2012). According to the different stakeholders’
categories, various engagement techniques have been considered, based on suggestions and
experiences gathered by academic literature on the subject (DEECD, 2011).
5.1 STAGE 1
At an early stage, the main objective is to raise awareness about the real estate development
project amongst the local community (Caputo, 2012). In order to achieve this, an initial
advertisement action will be undertaken through leafleting and billboards. To raise awareness
among the authorities, agencies and organisations that have a stake, invitation letters to take
part will be sent to all their representatives (UNEP, 2005). Additionally, when appropriate, an
invitation extension to allwho want to participate will be included, as one or few more individuals
usually represent local authorities, while political groups or social and environmental
associations may want to participate as a whole or elect one or few representatives (UNEP, 2005).
Once awareness has been raised upon all stakeholders a series of activities will be planned
throughout all the decision making process. In particular, activities will set and organised
according to the needs of the various stakeholders and in respect of their availability.
5.2 STAGE 2
The most important thing in engaging with stakeholders, especially those who might have a
strong interest in the subject, but do not have relevant power or influence, is to get them to know
who is proposing the development project in their community, so to encourage the perception

8
that who’s got the power cares to explain his ideas directly to them and that he is interested in
hearing their opinion (Caputo, 2012). In order to achieve this step, a public meeting will be
organised in Rampallo’s community centre. In this occasion, the Project Team will give an
overview of the project and will answer some questions from the audience and a member of our
consultancy team will take the role of moderator and supervisor of the meeting and will take
notes of potential issues that may arise. The public meeting is mainly targeted for the local
community, but everyone who might be interested would be welcomed.
After this initial approach, the Project Team will be able to have an idea of what could possibly
concern the local community, while the local community itself can have a better understanding
of the development intents.
5.3 STAGE 3
At this stage, everybody will have a conscious opinion on the subject. The next approach will
narrow down on groups and individuals to better understand their concerns and opinions (UNEP,
2005). This step will concentrate on questionnaires and interviews, in order to identify who could
be in favour and who could be against the proposed development. Questionnaires will target
different groups of the local community and will be delivered in two forms, according to the
stakeholders’ preferences: an online format that can be filled in and submitted directly online,
and a postal format, which will be sent to those without internet access or IT knowledge (i.e.
elderly groups), to be completed and returned to a dedicated stand specifically installed at the
community centre.
Interviews will be conducted with the representatives of local authorities and with the members
of political, social and environmental organisation. Meanwhile, an advisory committee will be
created, comprising all the representatives of the internal stakeholders and the representatives
of the main external stakeholders, in order to keep information up to date and discuss about
potential progresses, based time by time on new collected data.
5.4 STAGE 4
At this stage, the planning consultancy team and the members of the advisory board will have a
more in-depth idea of the progress made within the engagement process. Now, it will be time to
organise focus groups and workshops, where the local community and the organisations can
come together in small or medium groups to discuss and share their points of view (UNEP, 2005).
Focus groups will be organised at different times and places, in order to involve as more people
as possible, depending on their availability. Each group of the local community will be invited to
participate to a dedicated focus group where to share opinions and have debates together with
the planning team. In addition, the different organisations will also have dedicated focus groups
with the planning team and, at the end of each meeting, the representatives of such

9
organisations will have the possibility to briefly discuss their outcomes with the developer, with
the assistance and supervision of a member of the planning team.
Workshops will be organised specifically to help families and children to express their opinions
and point of views through a series of dynamic and creative activities, such as drawing,
painting, writing and playing.
5.5 STAGE 5
After this point, the internal stakeholders will be invited to a round table discussion, where they
will be able to take into consideration all the concerns and the suggestions made from the
external stakeholders and discuss possible changes and amendments to the project, in order to
address as far as possible the needs of the other stakeholders.
5.6 STAGE 6
Once the round table discussion will be completed, the revised development project will be
presented to the external stakeholders through a public exhibition, where all the changes made
to address previously raised concerns and suggestions will be highlighted and discussed again
to verify their suitability (Caputo, 2012).
5.7 STAGE 7
At the final stage, when all the opinions have been considered and included in the development
project, the Project Team will submit and discuss the revised project with the Council in order
to establish if the changes are consistent with the regulations in place. At this point, depending
on the consistency of the project combined with the outcome of the stakeholder engagement
strategy, the Council will decided whether to approve the development or not.

10
6 ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE
Raising
Awareness
Public Meeting
Questionnaire
and Interviews
Focus Groups
and Workshops
Round Table
Discussion
Public Exhibition
Submission to
the Council
Initial submission – A
stakeholder engagement
is required
Starting stakeholder
engagement – gathering
opinions and concerns
Expected time:
1 day for public meeting
2 weeks for questionnaires
and interviews
10 days for focus group
and workshops
Ending stakeholder
engagement – review
of the project in light
of new considerations
2 days for round table
discussion and 1
month to updated the
project and organise
the exhibition
Showing evidence that
opinions and concerns have
been considered
1 week for public exhibition
Final submission –
Awaiting for the
Council decision

11
7 BRIEF CONCLUSION
The Council of Rampallo will ultimately decide whether to approve or deny the real estate development
project. If permission will be granted, the planning team will follow the construction stages and will
provide appropriate means to keep all stakeholders informed and up to date until the end of the works.
Once the development will be completed, the planning team will conduct a concluding monitoring and
evaluation of the outcomes.
8 REFERENCES
1. UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme (2005). “Il Manuale dello Stakeholder
Engagement.” [Online] available at: http://www.accountability.org/images/content/2/0/205.pdf
2. Arnstein, S. (1969). “A ladder of citizen participation”. American Institute of Planners Journal.
July 216-224.
3. Bonoli, G. (2010). “The Political Economy of Active Labor-Market Policy.” 38: 435-457.
4. Caputo, A. (2013). “Systemic Stakeholders’ Management for Real Estate Development Projects.”
Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal 5(1): 66-82.
5. Cleland, D. I. (1999). “Project Management - Strategic Design and Implementation.” McGraw-
Hill.
6. Connor, D. M. (1988). “Breaking through the NIMBY syndrome.” Civil Engineering 58: 69-71.
7. Driskell, D. (2002). “Creating better cities with children and youth: a manual for participation.”
London: Earthscan.
8. Dorshimer, K. R. (1996). “Siting Major Projects & the NIMBY phenomenon: The Decker Energy
Project in Charlotte Michigan.” Economic Development Review 14: 60.
9. Freeman, R. E. (1984). “Strategic Management - A Stakeholder Approach.” Pitman Publishing
Inc.
10. Gibson, K. (2000). “The Moral Basis of Stakeholder Theory.” Journal of Business Ethics 26: 245-
257.
11. Healey, P. (1997). “Collaborative planning: shaping places in fragmented societies.” London:
MacMillan.
12. Healey, P. (2003). “Collaborative planning in perspective.” Planning Theory 2(2): 101-122.
13. Maginn, P.J., (2007). “Towards more effective community participation in urban regeneration:
the potential of collaborative planning and applied ethnography. Qualitative Research,7 pp25-43
14. McElroy, B. and Mills, C. (2000). “Managing Stakeholders.” In: Turner, R. J. and Sinister, S. J.
(eds.) Gower Handbook of Project Management 3rd
edition: Gower Publishing Limited.
15. DEECD - Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2011). “Stakeholder
Engagement Strategy.” Melbourne.
16. Van Berkel, R., De Graaf, W. and Sirovatka, T. (2012). “Governance of the activation policies in
Europe.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 32: 260-272.
NOTE: Any reference to real things, people, cities or situations is purely coincidental.

12
9 IMAGES
http://media.bodaclick.com/img/img_reportajes/15mil/6dec/15066_1327053712_4f193b9068
a87.jpg
http://media.bodaclick.com/img/img_reportajes/15mil/6dec/15066_1326698626_4f13d08207
5e7.jpg
http://www.camperlife.it/uploads/images/REGIONI/Marche/Pergola/panorama01.jpg

Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - EN

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Destaque

Destaque (8)

Semelhante a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - EN

Semelhante a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - EN (20)

Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - EN