SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

Level Authority Type ofplanningDescription Legal basis Legal statusNationalMinistry ofPlanning(Planning Agency)Coordination ofsector plansReporting to theMinister forPlanningPBA-voluntaryAdvisoryRegionalCommittee for theplanning of thecentral highland.Regional planfor the centralhighlandLand-use planfor theuninhabitedcentral highlandPBAcompulsory.Revised every4 th year.BindingAd-hoc planningcommittees of twoor more localauthorities.Regional plansLand-use plansfor two or morelocal authorities(voluntary andnon-statutory)PBAcompulsory.Revised every4 th year.BindingLocal79 LocalAuthorities 14MunicipalplansLand use plansfor the whole ofthe localauthority.PBA-compulsory.Revisedevery 4 th year.BindingDetailed plansDetailed plansfor a specificdevelopmentarea.PBAcompulsory.BindingTABLE 5.2. THE ICELANDIC PLANNING SYSTEM. - MAIN INSTRUMENTS AND ACTORS 15 .5.6.3 Status and the main challenges identified in the Icelandic planning systemResearch and review of the Icelandic planning system has been carried out at School ofEngineering and Sciences at the University of Iceland (e.g. Valsson 1997, 2000, 2002) and thelinkages to the SEA introduction under the auspices of the national Planning Agency inconnection with academic studies (Theodórsdóttir 2000, 2003) and Nordic research studiesBjarnadóttir (1999), Jónsdóttir (1998), Theodórsdóttir (2003), Theodórsdóttir andElmarsdóttir (2003). Research on the political and administrative structures of theinstitutional system has been carried out at the School of Social Sciences of the University ofIceland. In his review of the development of planning in Iceland from settlement to presenttimes Valsson (2002) emphasises the connection between settlement structures and society.Among the aspects he raises is the high reliance on car borne traffic in Iceland and howsettlement density and changes in lifestyle could lead to more environmentally friendlyplanning. According the Icelandic Planning Agency (2003), the strengths and weaknesses ofthe planning system can be discussed both with regard to the main actors, as well as theplanning system in general. According to Theodórsdóttir (2000) planning in Iceland can becharacterised as a technical activity, but the political aspects of planning, and the use of theplan in decision-making, has lately become more prominent.”Planning in Iceland has been described as being characterized by data collection and map-making,rather than effective coordination, and that land-use planning has to some extent been preformed in acomprehensive rational manner” (Theodórsdóttir 2000:53).14 Samband íslenskra sveitarfélaga, homepage, 8th December 2006.15 Adopted from Theodórsdóttir (2000).74