Easier community planning for small municipalities – new paths to better development

On behalf of the Centre of Competence on Rural Development (Distriktssenteret – a government agency), Ruralis and Nordlandsforskning have carried out the project "Distriktskommune 3.0" (“Rural municipality 3.0”). The aim was to improve local development in municipalities with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants by simplifying municipal planning processes. Now, the conclusion is ready.

The project, which was based on co-creation together with the participating municipalities, concludes that increased planning awareness and better clarification of roles are the keys to success. The project has developed resources such as enkelplanlegging.no – a website that aims to ease the planning process – to support small municipalities in their planning work. The website provides step-by-step guidance and suggests solutions for various elements of the societal planning process.

Midway through the project period, a report was prepared with the results of a survey and interviews with the participating municipalities. The final report contains summaries from the interim report and an analysis of new data material, as well as advice and recommendations based on the participating municipalities’ input in physical meetings and the results of a workshop. The project’s main findings are presented in the final report (only in Norwegian).

The project concludes that increased planning awareness, the development or improvement of a planning culture and better clarification of roles between elected officials and the administration are important prerequisites for success with the planning processes and with the development of plans that can function as operational management tools. The project does not find that the framework of the Planning and Building Act and existing legal requirements impede municipalities in getting their community plans adopted to serve as strategic management tools. However, the project does find that guidance material and small municipalities’ expertise can be improved.

Facts about District municipality 3.0

The project – ‘District municipality 3.0: better local development through simplification of societal planning in the smallest municipalities’ – ran from 2020 to 2023 and aimed to contribute to improving local development in rural municipalities with less than 2,500 inhabitants (SSB centrality 5 and 6) through the simplification of societal planning. A starting point was that societal planning in small municipalities is challenging due to lack of capacity and competence. The project was based on co-creation, which means that the six participating municipalities have contributed to answers to problems and published solutions.