The planning of strategy: A contribution to the improvement of spatial planning

• Adaptation of spatial planning to territorial major pressures.
• Methodology strategic approach to integrate territorial planning instruments.
• Incorporation of the local main concerns in strategic lines for municipal development.
• Translation of strategic guidelines on goals, programmes and actions to integrate the municipal master plan.

The spatial planning is under pressure. On one hand, it is the economic and financial system that requires fewer constraints on the reproduction of capital and, on the other hand, or perhaps because of it, there is a deletion of the regulatory capacity of the state over land use and, and overall, on the occupation of the territory. The need for flexibility in managing territorial took some time to appear on spatial planning but now it is more evident than ever. We propose a method of adjusting the classic process of spatial planning so that through a clearer operational and strategic component integration, it shows greater capacity to adjust to the new situation. This methodology has been successfully applied to the municipal master plan of the municipality of Almada, located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. Therefore, it is believed that flexibility can be well achieved by keeping the importance of land use planning and, more generally, spatial planning as a key instrument to regulate the demand for a scarce as is the territory. At the same time, this methodology allows the convergence of private and public actors, towards a collective future desired.