‘What Does the Future Look Like?’
ABU DHABI, 19 January 2015:
The second Charette began today in Victoria, the capital city of the
Seychelles, for the development of the Seychelles Strategic Plan.
Stakeholders from Government agencies across the Seychelles attended the
opening day which included a welcome address by Minister Christian
Lionnet from the Ministry of Housing and Land Use.
Under
the direction of the Abu Dhabi Leadership, the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning
Council (UPC) is providing technical assistance for the project, which
began in May 2014.
The
first Charrette, ‘Where Are We Now?’, resulted in a clear vision
statement for the project and set out key principles and aspirations for
the Seychelles through to 2040. Stakeholders explored growth
potentials and helped identify the opportunities for the future
development of the Seychelles to ensure a balance of development and
economic growth against protection of the natural environment and the
distinctive character of the islands.
The
Seychelles Strategic Plan will cover all of the islands that comprise
the Seychelles, with a particular focus on the main island of Mahé. A
framework plan will be developed for Mahé and a detailed Master Plan
will be developed for Victoria. The Strategic Plan will provide a
blueprint for urban development and sustainable growth of the Seychelles
over the next 25 years.
The
week-long workshop, titled ‘What Does the Future Look Like?’, will
assess the issues arising from the three growth scenarios that have been
developed. A growth scenario takes into consideration elements
including population, transport, development, tourism, community
facilities, environment, agriculture and utilities. This assessment
will lead to a preferred growth scenario that stakeholders will
collectively prepare throughout the week.
The
growth scenarios prepared for Mahé represent possible futures and
provide a conceptual framework by which to analyse the pros and cons of
different spatial approaches to delivering growth. A full assessment of
these scenarios will take elements from each to create a preferred way
forward.
Once
agreed, the preferred growth scenario will provide clarity on the
preferred locations for growth and the mix and proportion of land uses.
The principles underpinning the preferred growth strategy will then be
translated into the Seychelles Strategic Plan and the Mahé Framework
Plan.
To
ensure that there is valuable input from the community’s not-for-profit
organisations and the private sector, who will be instrumental to
delivering the Plan, they have also been invited to participate in
Charette 2. This ensures cross-sectoral alignment on the Plan’s
priorities to ensure effective delivery of the Plan at the
implementation stage.
Amer
Al Hammadi, Executive Manager for Planning and Infrastructure at the
UPC, said: “The rigorous assessment and testing of the different growth
scenarios, which includes consultation with the Seychelles stakeholders,
is absolutely critical to the successful implementation of the
Seychelles Strategic Plan.
“It
forms part of a balanced approach which helps ensure that the future
development of the Seychelles balances the need to achieve economic
growth with the needs of the community.”
The
next steps will see the key points of agreement and outputs fully
assessed to ensure that the Plan targets the appropriate amount of
development in the right location. The outputs of Charette 2 will feed
directly into the Victoria Master Plan that will be the key topic for
Charette 3.
As
part of Phase 2 engagement, and immediately following the Charette, the
Seychelles, with assistance from the UPC, will be undertaking community
consultation through drop-in sessions throughout Mahé , LaDigue and
Praslin.
The
Plan will set out the urban development framework for the sustainable
growth of the Seychelles over the next 25 years, and will address
priorities for the nation such as; facilitating economic growth and
diversification, protecting the environment by ensuring development is
undertaken in appropriate locations and in a sustainable manner,
appropriate allocation of land for residential and economic use,
protecting the character and heritage of the Seychelles, and preserving
and enhancing its social and cultural aspects, to ensure a high quality
of life for all.
