‘This is a wonderful book that should be on the desk of every architect and planner. It shows how

15 
The 
SmartMode 
Process
 
From technocratic to 
integrated planning and 
design
We have seen that our environmental management planning and decision-making methods and 
processes virtually all reflect a fatalistic belief – that the built and natural environments are inevitably 
in a zero sum relationship. This has led to the use of tradeoffs for externalizing conflict away from 
development planning and control systems. We cannot predict negative impacts in a complex 
environmental and social system, but we can find opportunities to take direct action to increase the 
urban ecology. We cannot eliminate poverty in a market system entirely, but we can give everyone a 
higher quality of life. Change will not come from the market and political arenas simply because it 
would be rational, however. Our discussion has shown that there is a vacuum created by government 
and industry structures. It would appear that only the community sector can catalyse change is the 
community. NGOs could begin by creating exemplars of net Positive Development, in partnership 
with government and industry. This chapter provides some guidance to this process. Some principles, 
concepts, procedures and criteria for a more 
positive
community-based, opportunity-creating approach 
have been identified. We have looked at:
•
Eco-solutions using natural systems that can increase both the ecological base and public
estate
• 
Environmental planning, design and management methods and tools that can assist in the 
transition from negative to positive actions
• 
Structural principles and organizational forms that planning for sustainability and eco- 
governance would entail
To reverse the negative approach in environmental management, planning and design, we have 
developed a positive approach, called SmartMode. The SmartMode process attempts to integrate 
innovation with development, and design with planning. It aims to turn development into a 
sustainability solution that generates net positive improvements over past ecological, social and 
economic conditions. The SmartMode process could be applied by a community group, a cooperative, 
a public–private+community partnership, or a new planning sphere. This chapter reviews some steps 

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252
Positive Development
and concepts in the SmartMode process that can help to bypass intellectual and institutional barriers 
to change through direct action for Positive Development. The basic steps are:
1
Establish common ground on sustainability concepts
2 Adopt a constitution for decision-making
3 Articulate project objectives and criteria 
4 Conduct forensic audits for new information 
5 Consider ‘how and what’ to trace and measure
6 Select appropriate methods and tools 
7 Develop planning information, concepts and strategies
8 Develop design strategies
9 Apply self-assessment
10 Apply external assessment
11 Ensure relevant measurements 
12 Assess accountability and performance
We have noted that planning, design and decision systems should be tailored to the nature of the 
problem, context and specific issues at hand. Therefore the SmartMode approach is a checklist 
of considerations or reference points, not a prescriptive process. The above steps could occur 
simultaneously or in a different order, and so on. The following outline is 
not
comprehensive and is 
not
meant to stand alone. However, it summarizes many of the principles articulated in the book.
This ‘12 step programme’ for recovery from addiction to negative thinking and fatalism is meant to be 
flexible and adaptable. Positive Development projects can be seen as ‘baby steps’, changing behaviour 
by working together to change systems through big or little, but manageable, direct actions.