SVP as a Short Term Planning Tool: Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study

Shared vision planning encompasses the basic principles of traditional planning but differs from the conventional approach in its fundamental reliance on stakeholder collaboration in a process of mutual learning and discovery as facilitated by a collaboratively developed model of the system. This collaborative approach seeks to define issues and problems, identify values and interests, and explore alternative strategies for resolving conflict and solving problems. This paper reports on the preliminary results of a pilot study initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources to investigate the feasibility of SVP as a planning tool in a short-term, small-scale context in support of regulatory programs and local water planning. Experience with the pilot study conducted in the James River Basin of Virginia to date suggests significant challenges to application of SVP in a short-term, small-scale planning environment. Engaging a full range of stakeholders has been hindered by restrictions imposed by the short time frame, and scale limitations created stakeholder doubt about the validity and usefulness of the process. The fact that the pilot study was presented as a limited exercise caused it to be viewed as a threat to prospects for future, larger-scale planning studies in the Basin. This experience illustrates the importance of pre-existing conditions to the success of SVP and demonstrates the special challenges that impact use of SVP in situations involving limited time and scope.