Spain
City of Santander
04-07-2020
30-09-2020
Participation was open to all between 1 July and 30 September 2020.
Although the General Urban Plan (PGS in Spanish) only acts on the physical structure of Santander (spaces and buildings, public and private), it is important in that this physical base directly influences the social, economic and environmental development of the city. Thus, the new PGS will generate an integral vision of the city, both in the short, medium and long term. The objective is to allow any interested person who has some kind of relationship with the city to express their opinion prior to the elaboration of the new technical document.
In the framework of the public consultation of the General Plan of Urban Planning of Santander (Spain), any person who has any kind of relationship with the city is invited to participate: permanent or summer residence, work, visitors, associations and political representatives. In addition, people of any age group may submit proposals.
Santander City Council has considered the participation of the greatest number and diversity of people in the prior consultation as being of vital importance for the new PGS to know the specific needs of the population, to complement and contrast the technical information, so that all this contributes to the proposals that will later be developed by the Plan.
The Santander General Urban Development Plan (PGS) is the basic and main instrument for the integral development of the city, with a structural character (global and generic). This legal tool regulates the use of land and buildings in the city, and is promoted by Santander City Council. As a legal norm, it establishes rights and obligations and binds all public and private subjects. It is expected to be in force for 8-12 years, but the PGS currently in force and which will be reviewed after this consultation dates from 1997, although with numerous modifications and partial plans.
In order to be able to participate in an informed manner, the Town Hall has drawn up a Base Plan as an informative starting document for the issues and areas to be considered. It is not a proposal document; it does not intend to put forward plans, but rather to present the current situation, the starting "photo" on which to reflect and deliberate prior to the revision of the General Urban Development Plan. You can consult the basic document in this link.
To make it easier to understand, the contents of the consultation prior to the PGS are structured around twelve themes:
With the aim of making it more accessible for citizens without previous knowledge of urban planning to propose improvements, each theme includes a description and example, as well as a series of "questions for reflection". In addition, each section identifies the SDGs and details the goals that apply. These include SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 5, Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment.
Thus, the participation website made available 12 differentiated sections in which to submit suggestions throughout the process. At the same time, the City Council organised a temporary informative exhibition on the public consultation at the Official College of Architects of Cantabria (COACAN), including guided visits by an architect involved in the revision process of the General Plan. In addition, urban walks, information meetings and neighbourhood roundtables, sectorial roundtables or children's roundtables were prepared in order to reach a large part of the population. More information can be found at this link. Below is a calendar including all the participation activities around the PGS:
On December 17 the final conclusions of the public consultation on the future PGS were presented. The specifications for contracting the drafting of the City Model are now advanced, and all the documentation from the Public Consultation has been incorporated into them, which includes both the contributions of the almost 2,000 people who have made contributions, and the reports on "The Wisdom of the City" commissioned by the Urban Planning Department from 10 experts (see complete list on the council's website). The future City Model is structured around four axes:
Sources and more information (in Spanish):
PGS - Consulta pública ciudadana | Portal Ayuntamiento Santander
Documento base para la participación
La exposición sobre la Consulta Ciudadana del PGS puede visitarse en el Colegio de Arquitectos
Presentadas conclusiones finales de la Consulta Pública sobre el futuro PGS
Join the OIDP
