Political Mediation as a
Function of Change Agents
The Example of Frankfurt Airport
Presentation September 15th, 2010,
University Wageningen International
Facilitating Multi-Stakeholder Processes and Social Learning
Agenda
I.
II.
Introduction to Presentation
The Issue: Conflict over Frankfurt Airport
Extension
III. Three Stages of the Mediation Process
1998 – Today
• Frankfurt Airport Mediation 1998-2000
• Regional Dialogue Forum 2000-2008
• Forum Airport and Region since 2008
IV. The Mediation Teams And Their Functions
V. Conclusions?
I. Introduction Christopher Gohl
•
2009: Ph.D. thesis “Procedural Politics:
The Example of Organized Dialogues“,
Department of Political Theory,
Potsdam University, Germany
•
2005-2008: Project leader of
Germany’s largest political mediation:
Regional Dialogue Forum Airport
Frankfurt
•
2005-2010: Senior Consultant of the
leading German Public Dialogue
Consultancy
I. Background, Main Thesis, & Purpose of Presentation
Background
• Outside Neutrals / Intermediaries are usually seen as
either facilitators, mediators, or arbitrators.
Main Thesis
• Political Mediation at Frankfurt Airport was
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•
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a function of change agents who
established an organized collaborative dialogue
to effect transformation from conflict to cooperation.
Purpose
• To offer one aspect out of many facets of the Frankfurt
Airport Mediation process for reflection and discussion
I. Argument of Presentation
•
The main task of the mediation team at the Frankfurt
Airport dispute was to transform conflict into
cooperation.
•
It accomplished such transformation through organizing
and stabilizing patterns of collaborative dialogue amidst
a culture of conflict.
•
Organizing a collaborative dialogue means
•
•
•
influencing the setup of the dialogue.
creating value for everyone on the drawing board,
focusing on problem resolution at the table,
Agenda
I.
II.
Introduction to Presentation
The Issue: Conflict over Frankfurt Airport
Extension
III. Three Stages of the Mediation Process
1998 – Today
IV. The Mediation Teams And Their Functions
V. Conclusions?
II. Frankfurt Airport – Where Globalization Hits Home
•
Airport Frankfurt is one of three
major European Airport Hubs
•
Biggest European Cargo Traffic
•
56 million passengers / year
•
490.000 flights / year =
1340 flights / day
•
With 70.000 employees, Frankfurt
Airport is Germany’s largest
employment complex at a single
location
•
Frankfurt Airport Region: 3,4 million
people exposed to airport noise
II. Frankfurt: “Hesse – There is no way around us”
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•
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19 km2 Space, 83 Aircraft Movements / hour
Three Runways
2 Terminals
145 Gates
246 Positions
1 AIRail Terminal
1 AirCargo Railroad Station
1 Commuter Train Station
3 Bus Stations
On an average day in 2008:
• 146.500 passengers
• 74.700 pieces of luggage
• 5.600 tons of Freight
• 400 Trains
II. Frankfurt Passengers: Top Ten in the World
Passengers 2008 (in Mio)
1. Atlanta
90,0
2. Chicago
69,4
3. London Heathrow
67,1
4. Tokyo Haneda
66,8
5. Paris CDG
60,9
6. Los Angeles
59,5
7. Dallas Ft Worth
57,1
8. Beijing
55,9
9. Frankfurt
53,5
10. Denver
51,2
II. Frankfurt Cargo: Top Ten in The World
Cargo 2008 (in Mio t)
1. Memphis
3,70
2. Hong Kong
3,66
3. Shanghai Pudong
2,60
4. Seoul
2,42
5. Anchorage
2,34
6. Paris CDG
2,28
7. Frankfurt
2,11
8. Tokyo Narita2,10
9. Louisville
1,97
10. Singapore
1,88
II. Frankfurt Airport and Its Region – 3rd Runway
“Startbahn West”
II. History: Conflict Extension “Startbahn West” 19621987
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Extension of Frankfurt Airport: “Startbahn West”: One of
the most intense conflicts in Germany
Project planned in 1962 – legal dispute for decades
Mass demonstrations from 1980 to 1984 – 2 policemen
killed in 1987
new runway opens in 1984
Result: massive loss of trust among population
Difficulty to discuss any further extension plans in public
II. History: Conflict Extension “Startbahn West” 19621987
II. The Issue: 4th Runway planned - noise effects
II. Building a Runway: Ecological Costs
II. The Issue: Effects of Air Traffic Growth
Aircraft Noise
Measuring Aircraft Noise?
Monitoring Aircraft Noise?
Gauging Noise Annoyance?
Health Effects?
Effect of Airport Noise on Life Quality?
Effects on real estate prices?
Regional Noise Reduction Planning?
Controlling Airport Noise?
Passive Reduction of Aircraft Noise?
Active Reduction of Aircraft Noise?
Night Flight Noise
Night Flight Ban?
Legal Requirments of NFB?
Practical Requirements of NFB?
Ecological Effects
Monitoring Eco-System?
Planning Requirements of Monitoring?
Social Effects
Monitoring development of communities?
Requirements of Social Monitoring?
Economic Effects
Economic benefits?
External costs?
Risk Management
Capacity Building Requirements
Cooperation with other Airports?
Optimization of Airport Operations?
Agenda
I.
II.
Introduction to Presentation
The Issue: Conflict over Frankfurt Airport
Extension
III. Three Stages of the Mediation Process
1998 – Today
• Frankfurt Airport Mediation 1998-2000
• Regional Dialogue Forum 2000-2008
• Forum Airport and Region since 2008
IV. The Mediation Teams And Their Functions
V. Conclusions?
III. Process Stage 1: Mediation 1998-2000 and Results
•
•
1998: Airport addresses need for further growth
To reach approval of the majority of residents a mediation
procedure is launched by the Hessian state government
Extension
Anti-Noise-Pact
Night Flight
Ban
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•
Regional
Dialogue
Forum
Optimization
2000: final report of the mediation is adopted by state legislature
and state government
“Mediation-Package” includes five complementary measures:
• New capacity through new runway / extension
• Capacity Optimization of the existing system
• ban on night time flights between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
• Anti-Noise-Pact
• 'Regional Forum for Dialogue' (RDF)
III. Process Stage 2: Regional Dialogue Forum 20002008 – Basis, Purpose and Goals
•
State Government Decision of June 20th, 2000
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Purpose
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15 pages on Context, Purpose and Goals, Structure,
Finances
Continue, intensify, detail dialogue in a “mediative process”
Goals
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Understanding through Dialogue
 Creating setup: structure and process of dialogue
Rationalization through Information and Scientific Research
 Committee Work, Joint Fact Finding, Public Dialogue
Counsel for administration in formal planning procedures, and
for politicians
 Written Advice, public representation of mediation
Guardian and Modeler of the Mediation
 Detailing implementation, negotiating Anti-Noise-Pact
III. Process Stage 2: Regional Dialogue Forum
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RDF: 34 Member
Institutions Forum,
57 meetings
•
5 Project Teams
on Issues, over 150
regular participants
in 149 meetings
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Dozens of Small
Working Groups
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Citizen Office
Auskunft
Bibliothek
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Several excursions
Gespräche
Veranstaltungen
Infowände
Bürger
und
Bürgerinnen
Dialog
Schulbesuche
Information
Lärmmessung
Lärmvisualisierung
Service
III. Process Stage 2: RDF 2000-2008
III. Process Stage 2: Regional Dialogue Forum 20002008 – Special Challenges for Process Leadership
•
RDF as mediative process parallel to formal planning procedure
• Competing logic of legal and administrative procedures
• Challenge to bridge formal planning procedure and informal
mediative dialogue
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Highly complex issues with competing regulatory competencies and
changing legal framework
• Competing institutions
• Competing regulation from local to European levels
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Some members working towards failure of RDF, others wary about
its perspectives
• Failure of RDF = Failure of Mediation Package = Failure of
Extension Plans
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Hot topics for mobilized media and public
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Long term mediation: changes in personal membership
III. Process Stage 2: RDF Joint Fact Finding
20 Expert Hearings from 2000-2007
15 Scientific Reports from 2000-2007
III. Process Stage 2: RDF Public Dialogue
30 Public Events
2000-2007
III. Process Stage 3: Forum Airport and Region since
2008
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State Government Decision of June 13th, 2008
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Purpose
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Continue, intensify, and deepen collaborative dialogue
Goals
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Continue regional dialogue about issues of growing airport:
“Konvent” with more than 60 members
Deepen specialist work: Expert Committee “Active Noise
Reduction”
Information to the general public: “House of the Environment”
Focus collaborative leadership: “Board of Forum”
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representatives from gov’t, communities, Lufthansa, and Airport
led by three chairmen: former RDF chairman, Fraport
Chairman, Mayor
Agenda
I.
II.
Introduction to Presentation
The Issue: Conflict over Frankfurt Airport
Extension
III. Three Stages of the Mediation Process
1998 – Today
IV. The Mediation Teams And Their
Functions
V. Conclusions?
IV. Mediation Teams: Frankfurt Airport Mediation 19982000: Between Facilitation and Arbitration
•
Three representative
“Mediators”
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Counselor and Coach
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Frank Niethammer, Chamber of
Industry and Commerce,
Frankfurt
Dr. Kurt Oeser, “Environment
Pastor”
Klaus Haensch, Vice-President
of the European Parliament
Dr. Hans-Peter Meister, IFOK
Scientific Advisors
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Öko-Institut / Eco-Institute
Project Leader Dr. Christoph
Ewen
IV. Mediation Teams: RDF 2000-2008
A Group of “Change Agents”?
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Chairman of the RDF: Prof.
Johann-Dietrich Wörner
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Forum’s Office
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President of Darmstadt
University until 2007
President of German
Aerospace Center (DLR) since
2007
6 persons
Staffed by IFOK consultants
Project Leader Dr. Christoph
Ewen until 2003
Scientific Advisors
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•
5 persons
Öko-Institut / Eco-Institute
IV. Mediation Teams: RDF 2000-2008 – Functions of
Effecting Transformation
Chairman of the RDF: Prof. Johann-Dietrich Wörner
• Political Representation of RDF
• Public Voice of RDF
• Facilitating Forum Meetings
• “Guardian of the Mediation”
• Initiating and facilitating
negotiations Anti-Noise-Pact
2006-2008
Scientific Advisors: Eco-Institute
• Partnership with Forum’s Office
• Structuring Issue-Agenda
• Counseling Chairman on Issues
• Co-Facilitation of Project Teams
• Draft Proposals and Protocols for Joint-Fact-Finding Measures
• Identifying Advisors and Consultants
• Inventing options in negotiations
• Role in informal communication and representation
IV. Mediation Teams: RDF 2000-2008 - Functions
Forum’s Office (IFOK): “Process Provision”
• Partnership with Scientific Advisors
• Coaching Chairman
• Supplying Strategy and Methods of
Organized Collaborative Dialogue
• Facilitation of Project Teams
• Group Mediation interventions
• Organization and Facilitation of JFF
• Organizing Public Dialogue
• Staffing Citizen’s Office
• Public Events
• Newsletters, Internet-Sites
• Public Relations
• Project Management and Organization
• Organizing meetings
• Comprehensive Documentation of Process
• Budgeting
• Role in informal communication and representation
IV. Mediation Team: Forum Airport and Region since
2008 – A Self-Sustaining Dialogue?
Leadership of Board of Forum and Chairmen of Konvent
• Chairman Prof. Wörner (former RDF chairman)
• Chairman Dr. Schulte (chairman of Fraport)
• Chairman Mayor Quilling (Town of Neu-Isenburg)
Chairmen of Expert Committee Active Noise Reduction
• Peter Gebauer (Board of German Air Traffic Control)
• Mayor Manfred Ockel (Town of Kelsterbach)
Director and Staff of House of the Environment
• Director Günther Lanz, formerly with the Hesse Ministry of
Environment
• Barbara Banse, formerly Citizen’s Office (IFOK)
Coaching and Scientific Counseling
• provisionally: IFOK and Eco-Institute
• Currently unresolved – no high profile
Agenda
I.
II.
Introduction to Presentation
The Issue: Conflict over Frankfurt Airport
Extension
III. Three Stages of the Mediation Process
1998 – Today
IV. The Mediation Teams And Their Functions
V. Conclusions?
V. “Political Mediation Extension Frankfurt Airport”
1998-2008: From Conflict to Cooperation?
V. Back To The Main Thesis
Testing Main Thesis
Political Mediation at Frankfurt Airport was a function of
change agents who established an organized collaborative
dialogue to effect transformation from conflict to
cooperation.


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
Introduction of structures of collaborative dialogue in three stages
from initiation to stabilization
Strong challenges require strong and comprehensive process
leadership / motor
No clear distinction of functions of Facilitation, Mediation, or
Arbitration, plus additional functions among „mediation teams“
Political Mediation as a collective function / effect of work of
Chairman Wörner, Forum‘s Office and Scientific Advisors?
V. Evaluating the Argument: Discussion?
•
The main task of the mediation team at the Frankfurt
Airport dispute was to transform conflict into
cooperation.
•
It accomplished such transformation through organizing
and stabilizing patterns of collaborative dialogue amidst
a culture of conflict.
•
Organizing a collaborative dialogue means
• influencing the setup of the dialogue,
• creating value for everyone on the drawing board,
• focusing on problem resolution at the table,
• in effect: strong and comprehensive process leadership
(compare Lax & Sebenius: 3D-Negotiation)