Urbanism and landscaping

are essentially a multidisciplinary teamwork involving various professionals and other participants in a [very] complex process. The aim of this chapter on urban engagement is to identify urbanists in their work with other professionals, to clarify their competencies, to strengthen ties and solidarity between urbanists.

The role of the city planner evolves along with the development of society, laws, land-use planning and urbanism policies. These change according to the political and social circumstances of each country in which urban planners work as researchers, officials in a territorial administration, designers, expert advisors, and trainers. What urges urbanists is that they focus on the interests of society as a whole, on every form of human settlement or on a whole region, and on the long-term future.

Urbanists analyze, develop plans, improve and steer development strategies and policies.

As in any discipline, it also contributes to vocational training and research in order to permanently adapt education to present and future needs. Urbanists are actively participating in all phases and levels of the spatial organization process, even if they can not get involved in the same measure at the same time.

It is generally recognized that spatial planning and strategy is not just drawing out plans. It is also a political process to strike a balance between all the interests involved, public and private, in order to allow for the necessary arbitration in the conflicts of interest that arise between different planning requirements and development programs. This reveals the importance of the role played by the planner as a mediator. The urbanist's understanding of mediation and negotiation will become increasingly important today and in the future.

The role of an urban planner is today more demanding than ever. It requires increased capacity in terms of urban composition, synthesis, management and administration to go through all the stages of the spatial planning process. It requires a humanistic and scientific approach and the search for social consensus in respecting individual differences and political decisions in order to achieve the implementation, management, follow-up and review of plans and programs.

The complexity and the weight of this role require a series of specific obligations for urban planners to be employed in the 21st century as strategic advisors, designers, managers, administrators - urban animators or scientific experts.

Urbanist as a humanist and scientist is committed to:
• Analyze existing issues and trends, taking into account broad geographic contexts and focusing on long-term needs, to provide full, clear and rigorous information to decision-makers, stakeholders and the public.

• Making available information available, taking into account European indicators and adopting representations that facilitate public debate and understanding of proposed solutions and decision-making processes.

• To maintain an adequate level of knowledge on the philosophy, theory, research and contemporary practice of spatial planning and urban planning through continuous training.

• Contribute to the training and preparation of others for the development of the urbanist profession in Europe, linking the theory of practice.

Encourage sound and constructive criticism in the field of spatial planning theory and practice and share the results of experience and research with others, thus contributing to the evolving corpus of science and planning competence.

Urban designer and prospectivist engage:
• Think of all the parameters that allow the articulation of local and regional strategies within global trends ("Global Thinking, acting locally").
• Increase choice and opportunities for all and especially for disadvantaged populations.
• Protect the integrity of the natural environment, the value of urban composition, protect the cultural heritage of the built environment for future generations.
• To propose alternatives to specific problems and challenges, assessing impact, highlighting local identities and contributing to their development.
• Develop and develop spatial development strategies showing the opportunities for future development of cities and regions.
• Identify the optimal positioning of a plan or scheme in national (inter) networks of cities and regions.
• To persuade all stakeholders to share a common and long-term vision of their city or region, beyond their individual interests and objectives.

Urbanist strategic advisor and mediator are committed to:
• To respect the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity and equity in decision-making, in the solutions it proposes and in their implementation.
• To advise authorities preparing proposals, targets, tracking goals, impact assessments and diagnostics in order to enhance and enhance public welfare.
• Suggest and develop operational legislative instruments to ensure efficiency and social justice that provides efficiency and social justice across policies.
• Facilitate real public participation and engagement between local authorities, decision makers, economic leaders and citizens in order to coordinate development and ensure continuity and spatial cohesion.
• Coordinate and organize collaboration between all parties involved in order to find consensus and resolve conflicts through the decisions they prepare for competent authorities.
• Engage in ensuring a high level of communication to enable knowledge and understanding among future users.

Urban manager-administrator of the city undertakes:
• Adopt strategic managerial methods in space development, going beyond planning to serve administrative bureaucratic needs.
• Ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the adopted proposals, taking into account the economic viability and the environmental and social aspects of sustainable development.
• Consider spatial planning according to the principles and objectives of the Community Spatial Development Perspective (SDEC) and other European Union (EU) policy documents to adapt local and regional proposals to European strategies and policies.
• To coordinate the various territorial levels and the different sectors in order to ensure collaboration, commitment and support from all administrative and territorial authorities.
• Stimulate public-private partnerships to capitalize on investment, create jobs and achieve social cohesion.
• Make positive use of European funds by encouraging the participation of local and regional authorities in EU co-financed development programs and projects.
• Organize follow-up and ongoing evaluation to correct unforeseen outcomes, propose solutions or actions, and ensure a continued retrospection between spatial planning policies and their implementation.

THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF URBANISTS
NEW CARTA AT ATHENS 2003

Urbanist in Mures County