Open Space Policy and Planning Communication

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bettina Oppermann



When residential space is to be created where allotment gardens used to be, the allotment garden associations protest. When trees on the banks of a river fall victim to flood protection, conservationists go to the barricades. - Open space policy deals with conflicts over the use and design of open spaces, for which there are no simple solutions because many legitimate interests clash. Spatial environmental policy encompasses different sectors and scale levels of open space development as well as old and new policy fields, for example nature conservation or time policy.

Only if drafts and proposed measures are discussed in a way that all parties involved understand, the recommendations of landscape architects and environmental planners can be discussed in a target-oriented way. The classic tools of planning communication include above all visual forms of representation such as sketches, drafts, models and plans. However, in order to explain methodical procedures and decision-making processes, words, visual language, spoken and written text are just as important. Multi-perspective thinking and a willingness to engage in dialog are prerequisites for successful planning communication.