Janice Morphet

An Anatomy of Spatial Planning: Coming to Terms with the Spatial Element in UK Planning

“Spatial planning” is a phrase that now resonates throughout many planning systems across the globe. It is being used as a label to describe pan-national, regional, strategic and even aspects of local planning processes. Within the UK, spatial planning is being utilized alongside, or even in place of, more traditional phraseology associated with planning, such as “town and country planning”. It is being used by a range of institutions of the State, professional groups and academic commentators to describe the processes of planning reform, modernization, policy integration, and strategic governance that politically are now required to make planning fit for purpose in the 21st century. The precise meaning and definition of spatial planning remains difficult to pin down, as does its origins within the UK. This paper attempts to dissect the various components of the spatial planning phrase and set out the meaning and origins of the term in the UK context. It covers re-territorialization, Europeanization and integration origins of spatial planning thinking and provides a conceptual, rather than practical, debate on the anatomy of spatial planning, situated within ongoing processes of institutional transformation, through the lens of governance and distinctiveness in state policy development.

The contested strategies of local governance: community strategies, development plans, and local government modernisation

The current round of local government modernisation in England, which commenced in 1997, has focused primarily on three main areas—new council constitutions, e-government, and performance. However, a fourth strand of initiatives relates to the power of well-being and the duty to prepare a community strategy, in partnership with a local strategic partnership. Academic commentators and planners, who have been focusing on the proposed UK planning reforms as contained within the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (passed in 2004), have largely ignored the development of this strand. In this paper we explore these aspects of the local government modernisation agenda for planners and pull out some of the key issues for comparison in the ownership, role, and development of the new plans: community strategies and development plans. Opportunities and difficulties of ensuring that new development plans become the spatial expression of community strategies is assessed through an illustration of the relationship between the London Borough of Camdens community strategy and its unitary development plan. Following a review of the content of both documents, wider assessments are drawn out and we conclude by debating the implications of and challenges for a future reformed planning system at the local level.

Devolution and the modernization of local government: Prospects for spatial planning

Abstract The creation of devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, coupled with the proposals for the English regions are creating new operational environments for local government in different parts of the UK. This paper reviews both the key factors affecting these new environments and their relationship with local government. The paper assesses the factors influencing the context for change, and considers these comparatively within England, Scotland and Wales. Attention is focused on emerging forms and practices of spatial planning within the devolved countries at the local level, caused by sub-national, local and community institutional change. Spatial planning is utilized as an example of the changing nature of central–local government relationships within the UK. The article concludes that there is evidence of convergent and divergent trends occurring at different speeds within the three countries and that the new local government relationships in Scotland and Wales may be more defined as a direct consequence of devolution. In England, by contrast, the new relationships between local government and central government appear more complex, not least as a result of the emerging picture of governance being brought about by regionalization. This leaves the future structure and powers of spatial planning within English local government more uncertain at the present time.

Effective practice in spatial planning

Preface 1. What is Spatial Planning? 2. The Local Governance Context of English Spatial Planning 3. The English Spatial Planning System 4. The Evidence Base of Spatial Planning 5. Community Involvement in Spatial Planning 6. Making Places - Delivery Through Spatial Planning 7. Taking an Integrated Approach to Local Spatial Delivery 8. Managing Spatial Planning 9. Regional and Sub-regional Spatial Planning 10. Spatial Planning in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 11. Spatial Planning in Europe, North America and Australia 12. Effective Spatial Planning

Delivering infrastructure through spatial planning: The multi-scalar approach in the UK

The role of spatial planning in infrastructure planning and delivery is beginning to be implemented through practice following a slow start. This can be seen through the development of spatial planning structures and processes in the jurisdictions of the UK. This article examines the role of spatial planning in developing infrastructure delivery plans in London, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and discusses the approaches that are being taken at differing spatial scales. Finally, the implications of these differing approaches are reviewed in the context of emergent approaches which will be coordinating infrastructure investment across the UK.

The Rescaling of Economic Governance: Insights into the Transitional Territories of England

The development of functional economic areas and their relationship to governance has been attracting considerable attention. New forms of sub-regional governance have emerged that have been interpreted in a variety of ways. Within this context, a different approach to multiscalar governance linked to economic space is emerging at a European level in relation to the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. This is embedding the principles of subsidiarity/territorial cohesion within member-states, and with sub-state scales of working being promulgated. This paper adds to existing discussions of city-regionalism by providing an alternative—yet fundamental—insight into these reform constructs within England in its relations with the EU. It explores: the role of economic spaces in the genealogy of rescaling tendencies; their co-option of governance as a ‘strategic’ mechanism for growth; and the emergent geo-politics associated with new sub-state governance structures and their effectiveness as intended ‘transitionary’ arrangements.

Policy Convergence, Divergence and Communities: The Case of Spatial Planning in Post-Devolution Britain and Ireland

The implementation of devolution (1999) in the UK was assumed to lead to fractured relationships with the national centre and a fragmented state as a consequence. However, discourse analysis and policy reviews in spatial planning demonstrate that policies and legislation implemented by central and devolved governments since devolution demonstrate marked similarities in intention and type (albeit with some differences in name and delivery route). Having demonstrated a lack of the expected policy divergence, we explore the role of two civil service forums, the British-Irish Councils spatial planning workstream and the ‘Five Administrations’ meetings of Chief Planners as policy communities.

Rescaling the suburban: New directions in the relationship between governance and infrastructure

This paper explores the emerging changes in the relationships between cities and their suburbs driven by international institutional. This paper discusses these trends within the new tropes of integration and multi-level governance that are serving to redefine and implement new city/suburban relationships with an emphasis on the role of functional economic areas. This shift suggests a fundamental re-conceptualisation of the power relationships with city dominance dependent on suburban success not serendipity. The underlying re-conceptualisation of this relationship is explored through a discussion of international institutional drivers as they are being implemented throughout states that are OECD members and then considers how these changes are being nudged into effect using statecraft and scalecraft practices. It further examines practices in the UK and concludes with a discussion of these new negotiated relationships between cities and suburbs.

The New Spatial Planning Territorial Management with Soft Spaces and Fuzzy Boundaries

ment; the difficulty of promoting enterprise and entrepreneurialism; and the fragmented nature of governance. The authors present evidence that the small-scale, labour-intensive initiatives work best and should be mainstreamed, but note that these initiatives are more expensive, at least in the short term. Unfortunately, this leads us back to the problems of scale and complexity, and the apparent impossibility of being able to make improvements on a larger scale. Solutions are not the strength of this book. Rather, it provides a good evidence base for rethinking economic development policy, through its model of labour markets, its mix of empirical evidence, policy analysis and use of other academic sources, and its thorough understanding of policy dynamics and of governance issues (with the exception of UK devolution). There is surprisingly little about the impact of globalisation. Perhaps another weakness is the lack of emphasis on the fundamental question about the function of poor areas under capitalism, in particular the propensity of those who gain secure employment to move away. All in all, the book highlights the problems more than pointing us towards the solutions. As a work of research, this is entirely reasonable and the book makes a substantial contribution to the literature. It is up to policy makers to suggest viable solutions, which in the current economic climate will not be easy in the UK or elsewhere.

‘Who else would we speak to?’ National Policy Networks in post-devolution Britain: The case of spatial planning:

The implementation of the devolution process that started in 1999 was frequently assumed by contemporary commentators and scholars to lead to a fractured relationship with the national centre and a fragmented state as a consequence. However, discourse analysis and policy reviews in relation to spatial planning policies demonstrates that agendas and legislation implemented by central and devolved governments since devolution are characterised by marked similarities in intention and type (albeit with some differences in name and delivery route). In investigating the potential sites and sources of these policy similarities and possible mobilities, and drawing on research data, we suggest that the British Irish Council’s spatial planning task group as one of the potential candidates to be considered as a national policy community or network. Alongside a range of other factors following devolution, this has contributed to development and delivery in one specific policy area that has taken a convergent rather than divergent character.