MIGEDC planners set to look ahead
Learning the ropes of regional planning is one thing, developing a mindset to always think and act like a region is another.
And such a mindset is what the three-day workshop "Looking Ahead: Planning Leadership for Regional Development" wants to develop among provincial and municipal planners in the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras city-region.
"What we wish to develop from this workshop is a critical mass of provincial and municipal planners who always think and act in the context of city-region building," says Jose Roni Peñalosa, executive director of the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC).
Local government planners have long acquired knowledge and skills on regional planning and what is needed now is to integrate their knowledge base with new approaches so they can assume a leadership role and become champions of regional planning, adds Peñalosa.
Set on April 17-19, 2007 at the Punta Villa Resort in Iloilo City, the workshop will be handled by Canadian regional planning experts Beate Bowron and Gary Davidson, both having over 25 years of experience as senior managers in leading-edge municipal organizations.
Bowron was the Director of Community Planning for Toronto's South District (the old City of Toronto) while Davidson was the Director of Planning and Development for Huron County. Their wide and varied experience as teachers and facilitators gives them a unique perspective on the needs of future leaders in planning organizations.
Bowron and Davidson's coming to the Philippines was facilitated by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), a major partner of Metro Iloilo and Guimaras in building the city-region to address the area's emerging problems brought about by rapid urbanization and the spatial development challenges of tourism and economic development.
"Building the City-Region" is one of the four themes that guide CUI's work as it implements the Urban Partnerships Program (UPP) Philippines, a program that supports MIGEDC in developing model approaches to enhancing urban and regional governance and the public realm of cities. CUI is supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Divided into four modules, the workshop will make participants understand political and economic issues affecting regional development and the challenges that await planning organizations; recognize the distinctiveness of their respective work environments; value the importance of communication; and enhance their ability to make decisions.
Invited participants include representatives from the local government units of MIGEDC, the provincial government of Iloilo, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Trade and Industry, National Economic Development Authority, Housing Land Use and Regulatory Board, University of the Philippines in the Visayas, Central Philippine University and the University of San Agustin, among others.
Based on the course design, planners will also be taught on how to look at themselves and the future directions of planning organizations, how to work as a team and resolve conflicts, how to communicate in teams and with politicians, and how to relate with "bosses" and interact with elected decision-makers.
More information about the workshop can be obtained from Jay Presaldo, CUI Senior Project Officer, at telephone number +63 33 336 7827 or from the CUI website at www.philippines.canurb.com.