Urban areas
pose a myriad of challenges and vulnerabilities regarding
threats posed by acts of terrorism. Population and
building density, dependence on critical infrastructure,
integrating multiple disciplines, coordinating varying
levels of government, and facilitating the appropriate
expenditure of dollars are all issues on the front
burner of today’s urban homeland security planners.
In the United States, extra funds are being directed
specifically to urban areas to supplement other funding
in the area of homeland security preparedness.
Many
highly urbanized areas are not governed by a single
entity, but contain a mixture of city, county, special
district, regional, state, federal, and other governing
entities. Into this layering of governments comes
well-intentioned funding designed to enhance the capabilities
of all entities to prepare for and mitigate against
acts of terrorism. The key questions are: where should
the money go and what expenditures should have priority? |
This article was published
in the Winter
2005 issue
of Perspectives.
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of Use policy regarding acceptable
use of content on the ICF International Web
site. |
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Through its work in the metropolitan areas of Seattle, Los
Angeles, and Washington, D.C., ICF International has learned
some valuable lessons regarding strategic planning for homeland
security. These lessons suggest that a consensus-driven process,
which includes and validates stakeholder participation, best
positions urban areas to successfully implement strategic
plans that will guide future decisions regarding funding,
partnering, and prioritizing action items.
Thinking Like an Urban Area
A threshold challenge is to
position key stakeholders to act and think like one urban
area, in one large discipline called "homeland security."
This is a huge hurdle, given that any one entity may have
various internal disciplines competing for dollars (eg.,
police, fire, public health, transportation, public works),
and that entity in turn feels it is competing against other
jurisdictions for its "piece
of the pie."
Several steps can start a process that
acknowledges common goals, mission, and vision. Engagement
of stakeholders regarding their expectations, needs, and
concerns about a strategic process is critical. Development
of a commonly held position that reflects stakeholder input
can validate the engagement process and create momentum.
Equally important is an acceptance that all jurisdictions
and disciplines do not need to be equally awarded. Stated
another way by one stakeholder, "the process must be
transparent, but not necessarily equitable."
Leveraging
Assets and Best Practices
Areas that have been impacted by
terrorist attacks and other disasters quickly learn that
"we are all in this together." Mutual
aid agreements, inventories of assets, public-private partnerships,
and the benefits of joint exercises and training activities
all accelerate the ability of a large urban area to effectively
respond and recover. A comprehensive strategic planning process
regarding homeland security will acknowledge the totality
of assets and skills that benefit the entire urban area.
This allows a subsequent determination of gaps, "weak
links" in the intra-urban partnership, and identification
of leadership entities that can mentor the remainder of the
urban area.
Getting "Buy-In" from Decision Makers
A strategic
planning process must have the endorsement of key decision
makers from the moment it commences. It must acknowledge
limits based on legal issues, past history, current relationships,
and likelihood of success. The process itself must strive
to preserve this endorsement, as any sense of "winners
and losers" will cause that endorsement to evaporate.
The strategic planning process at its best produces an advisory
document that will be used as a basis for decision making,
or as a basis for opposition to proposed actions. The strategic
plan itself is rarely legally binding; however, it should
contain explicit tasks, assigned lead coordinators, expected
outcomes, and timelines. Finally, the plan should contain
a "re-visitation clause" to check the validity
and relevance of the plan on a regular basis.
An effective
urban area homeland security strategic plan can serve as
a unifying agent for key stakeholders, as a resource for
decision makers, and as a roadmap for integrating and leveraging
best practices throughout the area’s
disciplines and jurisdictions.
Learn more about
ICF International’s capabilities
in strategic planning for emergency management and homeland
security.
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