How the state legitimizes national development projects: The Third Development Axis case study, Slovenia

We analyzed planning mechanisms and evaluated their performance in achieving legitimacy in infrastructure planning in Slovenia. Planning mechanisms were divided according to the concept of input, throughput and output legitimacy. We conducted a document analysis and interviews to assess their effectiveness in achieving legitimate decisions. Although the analyzed decision-making process declaratively promoted democratic principles, the mechanisms failed to satisfactorily enhance the legitimacy of decisions. The study revealed inadequate communication approaches, both in the decision-makers' relationship with the public and within the expert discourse. Accordingly, the study argues for more genuine communication with the public and within academia to address legitimacy challenges in increasingly conflictual decision-making processes.V prispevku smo analizirali postopek načrtovanja infrastrukturnega projekta v Sloveniji in ocenili uspešnost uporabljenih pristopov za doseganje legitimnosti odločitev. Pristopi k načrtovanju so bili razdeljeni v tri sklope, glede na uveljavljen koncept vhodne, postopkovne in izhodne legitimnosti. Legitimnost uporabljenih prostorsko-načrtovalskih pristopov smo ugotavljali s pomočjo kvalitativnih metod, natančneje z analizo dokumentov in intervjuji. Raziskava je pokazala, da je največji legitimacijski primanjkljaj na področju komunikacije, ne le med odločevalci in javnostjo temveč tudi med posameznimi strokami. Iz tega sledi, da bi morali za večjo družbeno sprejemljivost v bodočih, čedalje bolj konfliktnih postopkih odločanja, prostorski načrtovalci nameniti več pozornosti kakovosti komunikacije in sporazumevanju med akterji

Celostno načrtovanje javnega potniškega prometa v Ljubljanski urbani regiji

This volume discusses various aspects of planning public transport in the Ljubljana Urban Region, in which it highlights the cooperation between Ljubljana as a metropolis and its functionally connected countryside. After studying the basic social processes that guide development in this region, such as centralization and suburbanization, it focuses on traffic and public transport in this region. It analyzes the traffic flows, road use, and commuting, and dedicates special attention to commuting times. Suitable measures and best-practice examples are presented for the cases of unsustainable mobility that were indentified, especially with regard to improving spatial and temporal accessibility and transfer points in the public transport network. Proposals for integrating spatial and transport planning were developed, and ideas about drafting the development of public passenger transport in the selected corridor in the Ljubljana Urban Region were presented.Knjiga obravnava različne vidike urejanja javnega potniškega prometa v Ljubljanski urbani regiji, pri čemer je izpostavljeno sodelovanje Ljubljane kot metropole in njenega funkcijsko povezanega zaledja. Po preučitvi temeljnih družbenih procesov, ki usmerjajo razvoj v obravnavani regiji, kot na primer centralizacija in suburbanizacija, smo se osredotočili na promet in javni potniški promet v regiji. Analizirali smo prometne tokove, obremenjenost cest in dnevno mobilnost, posebno pozornost smo posvetili časovni dostopnosti do prebivalcev in delovnih mest. Za zaznane primere netrajnostne mobilnosti smo skušali najti primerne ukrepe in vzorčne dobre prakse, zlasti na področju izboljšanja prostorske in časovne dostopnosti ter prestopnih točk javnega potniškega prometa. Izdelali smo predloge za integracijo prostorskega in prometnega načrtovanja, predstavili pa smo tudi ideje o zasnovi razvoja javnega potniškega prometa na izbranem koridorju v Ljubljanski urbani regiji

Central settlements in Slovenia in 2016

This article presents central settlements in Slovenia and their main characteristics in 2016. We defined central settlements based on services of general interest and the population of an individual settlement, and developed the analysis further by using competitiveness indicators. We defined 360 central settlements at six levels of centrality, among which the significance of Ljubljana as a national center of international importance and the significance of intermunicipal, local, and rural centers are increasing. The significance of certain regional centers at the second and third levels of centrality is decreasing. The level of services of general interest supplied to Slovenian territory is relatively appropriate, but it should be improved by promoting competitiveness, especially in centers of national and regional importance

Conflicts related to transport infrastructure implementation in Slovenia

Posegi v prostor so vedno potencialno konfliktni. Teoretske razprave o reševanju konfliktov največkrat obravnavajo racionalne in participativne pristope k odločanju. Legitimnost prvih temelji na objektivnosti strokovnih presoj, ki pa so zaradi odtujenosti od družbenih vrednot v praksi pogosto nelegitimni. Slednji skušajo ta legitimacijski primanjkljaj odpraviti z vključevanjem javnosti v odločanje in deliberacijo. Zaradi utopičnosti načel resničnosti, pravilnosti in iskrenosti, po katerih naj bi se ravnali akterji, tudi participativni pristopi v praksi niso vedno legitimni. Raziskav, ki bi brez sodb o ustreznosti pristopov celovito proučevale dejanske postopke odločanja, je v prostorskem načrtovanju malo, v Sloveniji pa jih praktično ni. V raziskavi smo obravnavali konflikte pri prostorskem umeščanju prometne infrastrukture. Zanimale so nas vloge akterjev, vzroki za konflikte, argumentacije in pristopi k reševanju konfliktov. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kako v praksi, ki je vedno potencialno konfliktna, dosegati legitimnost. V raziskavi smo primerjali študiji primerov umeščanja avtocestnega odseka v Trebnjem in hitre ceste med Šentrupertom in Velenjem. Uporabili smo kvalitativne metode raziskovanja: analizo dokumentov in časopisnih člankov ter intervjuje. Rezultate smo interpretirali s pomočjo teorije kompleksnosti in teorije akter-omrežje, ki predvidevata dinamičnost odločanja. Raziskava je pokazala, da na reševanje konfliktov vplivajo različni družbeni dejavniki, zato se pogoji legitimacije spreminjajo. Odločanje zato zahteva kontinuirano deliberacijo med akterji in prilagodljivost postopkov odločanja, odločitve pa morajo vedno temeljiti na čim širšem družbenem in strokovnem konsenzu. Pri prostorskem umeščanju prometne infrastrukture je pomembna tudi deliberacija med teritorialnimi enotami, kar je v Sloveniji zaradi odsotnosti regionalne ravni problematično. Čeprav je raziskava omejena na prometno infrastrukturo v Sloveniji, je metodologijo možno uporabiti tudi za raziskovanje drugih prostorskih konfliktov, tudi izven meja Slovenije.Spatial planning is always potentially conflictual, especially the planning of transport infrastructure. Conflict resolution is therefore an important segment of theoretical discussions, which usually focus on rational and participatory approaches. While the legitimacy of technical rationality is based on the objectivity of scientific decision-making, the participatory approach focuses primarily on achieving legitimacy through public participation and deliberation. In practice, both approaches have shortcomings – the former is criticized for its ignorance of the social context, while the latter is criticized for its utopian principles of truthfulness, correctness, and sincerity, on which deliberation is based. In Slovenia, studies that examine actual conflict resolution processes without assessing the appropriateness of planning approaches are rare or practically non-existent. This study, addressing conflicts in transport infrastructure implementation, focused on two case studies, the planning of the highway through Trebnje and the planning of the motorway between Šentrupert and Velenje. We investigated the roles of involved actors, the causes of conflicts, arguments, and approaches to conflict resolution. The aim of the research was to determine how to achieve legitimacy in practice, which is always potentially conflictual. We used the following qualitative research methods: analysis of documents and newspaper articles, and analysis of interviews. The results were interpreted using the complexity theory and the actor-network theory, which emphasize the dynamic nature of decision-making. Research has shown that conflict resolution is influenced by various social contextual factors, which is why the conditions for achieving legitimacy change. Decision-making therefore requires continuous deliberation between involved actors and the adaptability of decision-making processes. In addition, decisions must always be based on the broadest possible social and scientific consensus. Deliberation between territorial units is also important in spatial planning of transport infrastructure, which is problematic in Slovenia due to the absence of a regional administrative level. Although this study is limited to transport infrastructure in Slovenia, its methodology can also be used to study other spatial conflicts, including those on an international level

Transformation in Industrial Towns in Slovenia and Switzerland

This report is the result of the first phase of the SNF Project on Industrial Towns titled “Places that don’t matter? Socio-economic transformation of industrial towns in Switzerland and Slovenia”, SNF grant number 192764. The report explores industrial transformation in small- and medium-sized towns (SMSTs) using six case-study towns—namely Biel/Bienne, Glarus and Mendrisio in Switzerland and Idrija, Kočevje, and Trbovlje in Slovenia. It provides a general overview of the institutional contexts of the case-study towns in their respective countries and regional profiles. The report describes the process of industrial transformations in different towns’ contexts

Atlas on quality of life in Slovenia

Atlas on Quality of Life in Slovenia analyses quality of life through dimensions, domains, and subdomains as defined in the ESPON QoL–Quality of Life Measurements and Methodology project. To do this, we first collected appropriate indicators and data for all the Slovenian territorial levels (national, NUTS 2 or cohesion regions, NUTS 3 or statistical regions, and LAU 2 or munic­ipalities). Altogether we collected eighty-four indicators for all the territorial levels, and the most representative ones for respective subdomains were included in the Dashboard, a tool that helps decisionmakers calculate the territorial quality of life for their regions. Based on the forty indicators included, the Dashboard for the policymakers automatically provided composite indexes at the level of subdomains, domains, and dimensions, as well as the final territorial quality of life index. The calculations were made for the NUTS 3 level (twelve statistical regions) and LAU 2 level (212 municipalities) in Slovenia. For both territorial levels, maps were prepared, showing composite indexes and indicators used for calculating composite indexes at the subdomain level. To place quality of life in Slovenia in a European context, we also prepared maps at the European level with close-ups for Slovenia and the NUTS 2 regions bordering Slovenia. Due to the different indicators used and the respective differences in the timespan of the data, the European maps are not directly comparable to the Slovenian ones, although the Slovenian ones can be compared because they present the most recent data calculated at different territorial levels