Exploring bureaucracy at Planning Authority through the eyes of architects

Abstract

The study verifies potential challenges encountered by Architects (periti) when they submit applications at Planning Authority. Its focus is on the problems that individual periti encounter, through their experience as professional architects. The Planning Authority is a Government agency which has evolved since its founding in the early 1990s. Time and experience have forced management to adopt different policies. Like any other organisation, Planning Authority is a bureaucratic structure. Weber was concerned about the irrationalities of formally rationalized systems, he was even more animated by what he called the “iron cage” of rationality. This has practically compelled architects to keep themselves updated with the ongoing changes of the policies issued by the Planning Authority, and even with the legislation. Although Kamra tal-Periti is always consulted when the Planning Authority introduces new policies, it seems that there is something lacking in the communication and interpretation of policies. In fact, one of the common factors which comes out from the results of the interviews is that most periti find it difficult to interpret policies. Some questions presented to them by their clients are not easy to respond and they have to resort to the Planning Authority officials. It also seems that periti give too much importance to case officers’ recommendations, which, at the end, can be overturned by Planning Commissions. The study shows that time limitations are forcing architects to suspend applications, sometimes on the case officers’ advice. This is prolonging the process. To try to understand what goes on within the organisation’s operation system the following questions were posed: • Does the PA structure facilitate interaction between architects and the organisation? • How is the PA decision making structure perceived by architects? • How is the bureaucratic process perceived by architects? This study also highlights how the system can be improved. It looks into a number of aspects, which are not only limited to the architects’ submission of applications, but also to the internal operation of the organisation. The researcher, being one of the employees of PA for the past twenty-two years, tries to understand where the organisation can do better and suggests recommendations which can improve its efficiency vis-à-vis public interface.