Revisiting the stakeholder engagement in local-level planning : uncovering missing links in the practices of the Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Stakeholder engagement in local area planning began around 20th centuary. In Sri Lanka, stakeholder engagement became a significant factor in preparation of local area plans in 2000. Different studies have conducted globally of stakeholder engagement in local area planning but the critical analysis of literuatre showed that the said topic has been discussed in Sri Lanakan context remained limited. Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka served as the prime responsible institution responsible for preparation of local area plans of the country. The current planning process involved 10 basic steps which stakeholders are involved in only two stages. Another significant gap was that the implementation stage of prepared local plans has been ignored. Only few stakeohders are invovlved in preparation of local plans. Therefore, there is a gap in proper identification and engagement of stakeholders. The study aimed to revisit the Stakeholder Engagement in Local Level Planning: Uncovering Missing Links in the Practices of the Urban Developmnet Authority of Sri Lanka. A qualitiave approach was adopted with semi structured questioner was applied to get the perception of professioanls engaging in preparation of local plans. A stiutational analysis was done based on histrocial background, legal framework of the UDA deeply analyzing the current planning process incorperating the surveyed data. The major outcome was that there was no continuous stakeholder engagement process throughout the process. The proposed framework institutionalized stakeholder engagement by identifying mechanisms to capture and integrate existing stakeholder concerns and perspectives within planning institutions to enhance participatory decision-making. Promoted professional capacity enhancement and inter-departmental collaboration by recommending strategies for the optimal deployment of technical expertise across institutional divisions.