Vincent
Magri
Ad-Hoc Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
My first degree included a two year specialisation in Urban Planning. Following this, my twenty five years of professional experience constantly involved roles instrumental in policy making and implementation of sustainable urban development. The first decade was a pioneering role of introducing spatial planning in Malta together with the concept of sustainability, of forward planning which takes account of the social, economic and environmental aspects and putting forward policies that aim to achieve such objectives at national, regional and local levels. These were the first policy documents in Malta that addressed the pillars of sustainability in a simultaneous and integrated manner and brought them to all strata of Maltese society through public participation exercises with the aim of bringing about a culture change.
I have also constantly been involved in EU funded projects which covered many aspects of sustainable development both in Malta and abroad, from planning and assistance to SMEs and on to transportation, renewable energy sources and environmental projects. I have worked both within the public and private sectors dealing with issues of sustainability and integrated urban development. I have a deep understanding of effective implementation of policies through the involvement of both local private businesses and local public authorities and their systems of local governance, and as a way to the effective integration of policies and their implementation.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
I have been involved in transnational urban planning activities since the early 1990s. I have represented Malta in the EU Committee on Spatial Development during its accession process and have also represented the Malta Chamber of Planners at the European Council of Town Planners. I have also taken part in numerous EU funded projects which were always carried out in partnership with entities hailing from many different countries, both from Member States as well as from Third Countries, including Northern Africa. Such projects have always involved research, active participation, knowledge sharing and bench-marking, together with acquired understanding of how these countries address similar issues.
My involvement in sustainable urban planning covers a whole spectrum of topics, at national, regional and local levels and I have been involved in policy making both at strategic levels and for local implementation. My experience in working for both public and private organisations gives me a unique understanding of what it takes to draft realistic policies and how to effectively implement them through the involvement of both the public sector and private businesses.
The transnational projects that I have been involved in covered a diverse range of subjects related to sustainable urban development, such as in entrepreneurship, assistance to SMEs, corporate social responsibility, the environment, renewable energy sources, transportation, and culture among others.
B.3. Proficiency in English:
Malta is a bi-lingual country and the English language is, together with the Maltese language, an official language. I am therefore fluent in English both in its spoken and written forms. I am hence capable of understanding, speaking, writing, delivering presentations, and participating in all forms of activities carried out in the English language.
Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Summary Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
During my twenty five years of professional experience I have been continuously involved in activities that involved exchange of information at the local, national and transnational levels. These activities provided a good opportunity to bench-mark and exchange knowledge with fellow professionals, and to learn from experiences of others.
At a transnational level I have represented the Malta Chamber of Planners at the European Council of Town Planners and have taken part in activities which aimed at sharing knowledge for the advancement of the profession.
I have also been involved in numerous European Union funded projects whose aim was to carry out research on planning related matters covering all aspects of sustainable development, be they of an economic, environmental and social nature. I have been involved in a diverse range of transnational projects related to strategic planning, local economic development, sector specific economic areas, cultural projects, renewable energy sources, transportation and corporate social responsibility to just mention a few examples. These projects included participant organisations from most of the Member States of the European Union, but also participant organisations from Third Countries, such as those from Northern Africa and the Middle East. All involved novel ways to facilitate learning between participants and the exchange of information.
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
As part of my work at the Planning Authority in Malta, pioneering work in engaging and involving stakeholders in policy formulation was carried out.
During the preparation of the Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands (www.mepa.org.mt) I was responsible for public participation. This included the organisation of multiple campaigns aimed at all levels of society, including participation in TV programmes, radio interviews and press articles. At the local level, presentations, workshops, seminars and meetings using multiple communication tools involving all the local stakeholders were carried out in order to get feedback, increase participation and improve the effectiveness of the policies being proposed.
During the formulation of the Marsaxlokk Bay and Grand Harbour Local Plans (www.mepa.org.mt), for which I was totally responsible, participation of both national and local agencies, NGOs, the private sector, SMEs and the local communities was ensured.
Additionally, involvement in EU funded projects also included all forms of communication tools to guarantee proper communications and dissemination of information, general participation, and targeted involvement in policy formulation. For example, the policies being proposed in the project InFlowence (www.inflowence.eu) were discussed with the then Leader of the Opposition, now Prime Minister of Malta, and have inspired many projects being currently proposed by the current administration.
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
Urban planning is a discipline which by nature involves and affects multiple sectors and hence multiple stakeholders. It therefore has to include an integrated approach during all phases of planning. This is the key to formulating practical urban policies which make a difference to the area of application, be it a region, town or small locality.
On the other hand, policies themselves need to be as simple, as clear and as measurable as possible. This is the only way that monitoring and evaluation of policies can be achieved at a later stage. Strategic goals need to be translated into measurable actions. Provisions for monitoring and evaluation have to also be included as part of the policy document and need to incorporate specific measurable quantities and dates for such action to be considered attained or carried out.
In other circumstances the plan period itself is defined. For example, the policies included in the Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands included integrated strategic policies on the different aspects related to planning, such as housing, transportation, the built environment, recreation, heritage etc and the plan was formulated through the integration of all these aspects. Integration also occured within the specific topics themselves. For example in transportation, considerations related to private and public transport and the different modes of public transport were considered. The above also applied to the Grand harbour and Marsaxlokk Bay local Plans.
The integrated approach to planning and policy formulation and implementation was also the backbone of many of the EU projects that I have participated in. Since these were usually sector specific, integration occurred through the consideration of diverse aspects of policy making, such as social, geographic, financial and political aspects of the particular topic being addressed by the project. Examples of such projects include the projects Enerscapes, Limit4Weda, InFlowence, Iktimed, LakeAdmin, and Sea2Land to mention some of those that I was involved in.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
Given the diverse nature of urban planning issues and policy making, it is essential that one keeps continuous track of developments in this field. This is done through a number of actions and sources.
The background and previous studies carried out are important milestones in the accumulation of such knowledge. My studies have been aimed at continuous specialisation in this field. Suffice to say that I have specialised in Urban Planning as part of my first degree. I then followed up on the subject of planning through my Master's Degree in Property Development and Planning, which addressed all issues of public and private sector policy related to sustainability and economic development. My dissertation at Master level was entitled "Property Development in EC Legislation" which, at that time (early 1990s) was still at its infancy and being developed.
The continuous involvement in planning activities and in research also result in continuous update on policy matters and initiatives being taken and available at both national and EU levels, not to mention on the global arena. I was also a member of the team entrusted with the screening of Regional Policy for Malta, as well as the Maltese representative on the EU Committee on Spatial development.
Participation in planning involves both national policy development projects and EU projects in which I have been continuously and actively involved throughout my career.
I have always been a member of the related professional bodies in Malta, which in turn are affiliated to the counterpart organisations abroad. I am a member of the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers, which has a sub-chamber on Planning Matters, and also a member of the Malta Chamber of Planners, which is affiliated to the European Council of Town Planners. I have also been involved in the European Council of Town Planners and the formulation of related strategic policies.
I actively participate in national discussions, conferences, presentations, workshops and forums on the subject. In Malta, urban planning and sustainable development are very important topics constantly under discussion due to the small size of the country and its immense pressures for development.
It is therefore very important to follow the policy work by national agencies responsible of policy making and disbursement of EU Cohesion funds such as the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Malta Enterprise , the Employment and Training Corporation, the Malta Resources Authority and the Malta Tourism Authority.
In addition, I also closely follow up on European Union policies and funding programmes, typically through the dedicated DGs or specialised bodies. Examples of such programmes currently: Interreg Europe, MED, Central Europe and other territorial cooperation programmes, the LIFE programme, specific work programmes from within Horizon 2020 like those focused on sustainable energy, low carbon economy, sustainable transportation, and the Smart Cities and Communities, inclusive and secure societies, etc. Other support sources that I follow up regularly include the financial instruments and technical assistance facilities offered by the European Investment Bank/European Investment Fund. All this apart from other international sources of finance such as the United Nations Development Programme, World Bank initiatives, etc.
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
One of the biggest challenges for the planning professional is to translate international and national policies to local policies and action. This is because at the international and national levels, such policies are visionary, general and strategic in nature and prepared by technocrats operating at this level.
On the other hand, at the local level, such policies are experienced by local politicians and local communities. In other words, in this context and in its most simplified manner, the work of the professional planner is summarised by the maxim: think global (or, in this context, EU and national) and act local.
Having worked at both the strategic levels and at the local levels, I can understand the contextuality of both and use this to be able to interpret general, strategic policy to produce local policies based on implementable action.
My past work at the Planning Authority necessitated the use of such techniques. The Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands was a regulatory policy document formulated and based on international, mostly European Union, principles of sustainability. economic development and environmental management in the Maltese social context. This however still addressed such issues in a general strategic manner. The responsibility for the formulation of the first regulatory Local Plans in Malta focused on translating and interpreting such policies for the local realities. These Local Plans provided guidance for sustainable development at the levels of the towns, villages and even specific local sites, and all such policies had to be drafted in line with the national policies already established in the Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands.
In a similar way, direct involvement in EU projects included an even larger challenge due to the non-regulatory nature of the policies produced at the local level. These policies had to be practical and make sense to the local politicians, institutions and communities as otherwise they would not be adopted in practice.
The sharing of knowledge, especially the identification of good practice is incorporated in many projects and most of those that I have been involved with included the gathering and concise reporting of such information. My role has included both providing guidance, as well as the preparation per se of such deliverables. At the policy level, one such example included my input in the project Enerscapes in which I carried out a strategic planning analysis of available space in Malta for the location of solar energy farms. Officers of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority were consulted and involved throughout, both during the research as well as during the implementation phase. This procedure and involvement then helped the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to better understand the complexities of the issue and to initiate a programme to formulate a policy guidance document. This policy document was issued later for public consultation.
Summary Expertise:
Urban planning is a complex process of change, whereby interventions result in changes at both different levels and in different sectors. For this reason, a good understanding of the theory combined with years of experience in the practical field both within the private and public sectors are essential to be able to propose and implement practical policies.
As a professional specialised in urban planning through my studies and work experience I have been responsible for carrying out complex urban planning and regeneration exercises. These projects were carried out both at strategic level and at the detailed local level. They involved comprehensive research exercises which included both desk and field studies as well as multiple forms of stakeholder involvement, ranging from Ministerial level discussions and presentations to local community involvement and public participation exercises.
These actions led to the formulation of important, practical policy documents which guided future development in the regions and localities concerned, both for national and local authorities. Their effectiveness has been proven with the capitalisation and implementation of many of the projects identified, including those identified as part of the participation in EU funded projects. These covered urban upgrading and embellishment, rehabilitation of tangible and intangible heritage, social gentrification, local economic development and transportation schemes, among others.
Informations
Residence location:
Malta
Languages:
Maltese - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Email:
magrivin@hotmail.com