Ethics aspects

Ethics aspects

"The field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior." An urban planning system that comprehensively gathers and considers security information is one that enables a society to address the causes of security problems, not just their symptoms, in order to address ethical issues in terms both of rights and of responsibilities that a planning system must be based on. However, decisions about how to configure and live within the built environment have ethical dimensions that are sometimes hard to see.

Ethics of urban planning

It is the duty of planners to ensure that political goals for building development and the provision of public service are implemented without being influenced by pressure by special interests and by their superiors. They must be attentive to the public and must explain their actions to their political masters. In other words, the primary obligation of urban planners is to serve the public interests and recognize the comprehensive and long-range nature of planning decisions. Planners should as well avoid conflict of interests and not seek or offer other favors and benefits. To respect the professional code of ethics includes also maintaining the public confidence through not using confidential information for financial gain. While the public interest is a question of continuous debate, both in its general principles and in its case-by-case applications, it requires a conscientiously held view of the policies and actions that best serve the entire community.

• Practical checklists.

Ethics pyramid

The challenge to implement ethical aspects in security-related urban planning decisions can be illustrated in the form of the ethics pyramid:

Guides to consider ethics aspects in urban planning

Different types of ethics aspects and guidance documents can be considered when addressing security aspects in urban planning:

"Generic" ethics aspects

Generic ethical aspects in urban planning are also relevant to its addressing of security issues. They lead to questions such as the following:

• How was the project chosen?
• Are the goals of the project worth reaching?
• Are the means used to reach the goals of the project appropriate?
• Does the project conflict with projects other individuals or groups are pursuing?
• Is the project self-defeating?

Ethical dimensions of built environment

Decisions about how to configure and live within the built environment have ethical dimensions that are not always obvious. In order to provide practical guidance on ethical implications of metropolitan growth, questions relating to well-being, justice, sustainability and legitimacy should be considered. Key questions of environmental ethics that bring in the most immediate concerns of ordinary people include the following:

• Is the selected place a good place to live? (Well-being)
• Who gets to benefit from that place, and who does not? (Justice)
• How long can the place last? (Sustainability)
• Who should make decisions about the place? (Legitimacy)

American Planning Association (APA) ethics principles

The American Planning Association (APA), a not-for-profit educational organization with various contributions in community planning, developed a guide to ethical conduct for all who participate in the process of planning as advisors, advocates and decision makers. The set of principles for all who participate in the process of planning accentuate the necessity for the highest standards of fairness and honesty among all participants and guide all who aspire to professionalism. These ethical principles derive both from the general values of society and from the planner's special responsibility to serve the public interest. In order to faithfully serve the public interest, planning participants should have the following characteristics:

• recognize the rights of citizens to participate in planning decisions;
• citizens involvement and active participation and full, clear and accurate information on planning issues;
• fair, honest and independent judgment from decision makers and advisors;
• clarification of community goals, objectives and policies in plan-making;
• protection of the integrity of the natural environment and the heritage of the built environment;
• pay attention to the long range consequences of present actions;
• consideration of “personal interest” of all participants (citizens);
• abstain completely from decision maker’s personal interests, influencing gifts or favors
• not participate as an advisor or decision maker on any plan or project in which they have previously participated as an advocate and vice versa;
• serve as advocates only when the client's objectives are legal and consistent with the public interest;
• not misuse confidential information and not misrepresent facts or distort information for the purpose of achieving a desired outcome;
• respect the rights of all persons (according to civil rights laws and regulations);
• consider gender perspectives, perceptions and needs.

Gender perspective in the urban planning process

There are various inequalities in society based on class, wealth, race, gender, disability, age, or other cultural factors. These factors make equal participation of all members of society in planning processes more difficult. It is necessary to ensure that all these voices are heard and considered. In addition to this approach it is important to clarify what a gender perspective actually means when undertaking urban planning.

Women and men have different perceptions of security and further more different urban protection needs. Thus, „gender is not only about women in society. It is about the ways women and men interact and their ability to access resources and opportunities in their communities depending on their being a woman or a man. Therefore, when any type of survey or analysis of a society is undertaken, it is important to have data that reflects the situation of women in comparison to the situation of men and vice versa“.

Understanding the various situations, individual needs and perspectives of men and women therefore should inform all aspects of urban planning and management in a non-dogmatic way, as proposed by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT):

Citizen participation and acceptance

There are different cultural approaches to decision making in urban planning, and citizen participation can be realized in several ways. Citizen involvement in urban planning processes contributes to increase security by:

• reducing inequality and social tension;
• incorporating the knowledge, productivity, social and physical capital of the poor in city development;
• increasing local ownership of development processes and programs.

Closer matching and balancing of planning with local needs by involving citizens and stakeholders enhances broader citizen acceptance of security decisions and the implementation of security technologies. Public acceptance is recognized as an important issue in security and urban planning policies and mirrors trust in political decisions and actors.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) Guide for Municipalities gives a resume of various types of citizen participation for use in urban planning consultation processes.

Practical methods

• Stakeholder-rated methods to consider ethics aspects in urban planning

Further reading

• C. D. Barrett: Everyday Ethics for Practicing Planners. AICP: Washington, D.C., 2001.
• E. Howe: The Nature of Ethical Issues. Acting on Ethics in Planning. Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, 1994.
• P. Marcuse: Professional Ethics and Beyond: Values in Planning. In: M. Wachs (ed): Ethics in Planning. Rutgers: Center for Urban Policy Research, 1985.

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