Joe Doak

Reshaping Spaces of Local Governance? Community Strategies and the Modernisation of Local Government in England

The preparation of Community Strategies (CS) has been required of Local Strategic Partnerships and local authorities in England since the passing of the Local Government Act 2000. The authors examine the process and content of two CSs in southern England as part of an ongoing project to understand their impact and explore ways in which CSs may be prepared in a meaningful and effective manner. They critically evaluate a number of dimensions of CS formulation, including: the important role of local political and cultural context; the extent to which they reflect and reproduce a shift from representational to participatory forms of democracy; the impact of national policy agendas; the role of place identity; the relative influence of local government officers and members; and the dynamics and implications of particular forms of conflict mediation and consensus building. They conclude that the process of CS formation studied illustrates the tensions and opportunities contained within the Labour governments modernisation agenda. Governmentalities of active citizenship and participatory democracy mingle with more representational and managerial modes of local governance, creating hybrid structures, processes, and outcomes that shape the process of strategy formulation. All this is set within a context of a dynamic and variable set of place identities and pervasive resource (inter)dependencies which both close down and open up the range of issues and interests that are drawn into the process of CS formulation.

Networked space? The challenge of meaningful participation and the new spatial planning in England

Over recent years there has been a series of government initiatives that have impacted directly and indirectly on the United Kingdom (UK) planning system. These include a programme of regional devolution, the introduction of significant shifts in regeneration policy and funding and the increasing emphasis placed on partnership working and community engagement at the local level. These changes have now fed through into some far-reaching changes that are being wrought in the planning system itself. While many in planning and the development industry stress the opportunities that should arise from the government’s modifications to the planning system (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), 2003a), it is certain that they also hold challenges and involve a number of as yet unresolved issues. In this article we explore those challenges, opportunities and issues in relation to the theme of community involvement. In doing this we concentrate on the relationship between ‘community strategies’ (the government’s flagship policy vehicle for taking forward a ‘new localism’ in governance) and the government’s expectations for community involvement in the new system of local plans (now called ‘local development frameworks’). We build our assessment on initial findings from research into community strategy development in England and our assessment of the emerging spatial planning strategy in Reading, Berkshire. Our conclusion is that spatial planning intimates a degree of complexity that needs to be well organised if such complexities are to be reflected in plans and strategies (cf. Byrne, 1998). Our view is that the changes to community involvement will present real difficulties for many local planning authorities, but also offer opportunities for sustained, good-quality, integrated and resourceefficient community involvement. We suggest that an effective approach to handle the new spatial planning regime is to integrate different ‘policy networks’ (Marsh, 1998; Selman, 2000a; Doak & Parker, 2002) and seek the construction and maintenance of what we term a new ‘spatial planning network’.

Changing the World Through Participative Action: The Dynamics and Potential of Local Agenda 21

This chapter explores the potential of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) to transform the structures of local government decision-making using examples from the Southeast region of England. It utilises the theoretical ideas developed by ‘new institutionalist’ writers to examine the experience of Local Agenda fora at three distinct spatial levels: regional, sub-regional and local. It reports on a varied pattern of participation and influence on decision-making and seeks to understand the differences in relation to a dynamic, structured, fragile and fractured series of discourses. The main conclusions from the case study analysis are that: the integration of LA 21 action programmes into government decision-making is a slow and partial process. Even in the most energetic authorities and agencies, there is evidence of significant organisational and cultural barriers to attempts to restructure decision-making in line with ideals of LA21. there is limited co-ordination of the different spatial levels of LA21 which weakens the principle of ‘Think Global, Act Local’. Communication of ideas and proposals between regional, sub-regional and local LA21 fora is based on a fragile network of individuals who are active in different fora. the LA21 process has made an important contribution to the ‘quality’ of decision-making in government organisations at the different levels. In particular it has sought to establish ‘rational’ criteria and frameworks, based on the principles of sustainable development, with which to test policies and proposals; introduce alternative forms of knowledge and perspective into decision-making dominated by ‘professional/expert’ cultures; and (re)emphasise the concept of equity and the distributional implications of policies and proposals.

Key concepts in planning

Introduction Plan and Planning Sustainability and Sustainable Development Networks Systems and Complexity Hierarchy Implementation Designations Public Interest and Interests Negotiation Mobility and Accessibility Rights and Property Rights Place and Sense of Place Community Capital Externalities and Impacts Competitiveness Amenity Development

Planning for the Reuse of Redundant Defence Estate: Disposal Processes, Policy Frameworks and Development Impacts

This paper reviews recent research and other literature concerning the planning and development of redundant defence estate. It concentrates on UK sources but includes reference to material from Europe and the North America were it is relevant for comparative purposes. It introduces the topic by providing a brief review of the recent restructuring of the UK defence estate and then proceeds to examine the various planning policy issues generated by this process; the policy frameworks used to guide it; comparable approaches to surplus land disposal and the appraisal of impacts; and ending the main body of the review with an analyse of the economic, social and environmental impacts of military base closure and redevelopment. It concludes that there is a significant body of work focusing on the reuse and redevelopment of redundant defence estate in the UK and abroad, but that much of this work is based on limited research or on personal experience. One particular weakness of the current literature is that it does not fully reflect the institutional difficulties posed by the disposal process and the day-to-day pressures which MOD personnel have to deal with. In doing this, it also under-emphasises the embedded cultures of individuals and professional groups who are required to operationalise the policies, procedures and practices for planning and redeveloping redundant defence estate.

Fora, Networks and Public Examinations

typology of the levels of public participation (Arnstein, 1969), planning theorists have been trying to conceptualise the nature of public involvement. At the same time planning practitioners have been grappling with the realities of trying to engage in a meaningful and ‘democratic’ way with the local communities and stakeholder groups in whose name the plans and strategies are prepared and in whose interests places and spaces are supposed to be developed. Both ventures have been fraught with uncritical conceptualisation, simplistic analysis, unexpected findings, and frustrated encounters. They have also been characterised by a slow maturing of understanding and the development of realistic and sensitive approaches and conceptual frameworks. Many contemporary writers and practitioners now see public participation in planning as a constrained but potentially socially progressive vehicle for ‘opening-up’ decision-making processes to a wider range of interests, particular the citizens who have to use the environment which is planned and produced. They realise that this process, like the society within which planning is embedded, is complex and needs a reflective approach which builds dialogue over time. Much of the participation literature has concentrated on local planning practice and the involvement of local community groups in these planning exercises. Some (e.g. Saunders, 1979; Cawson, 1982; Healey et al., 1988;

Integrating e-learning in real estate education: the iLearn and ULearn case studies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide two contrasting case studies of the integration and application of e‐learning in real estate education.Design/methodology/approach – The two cases presented in this paper provide good practical illustrations of the integration of e‐learning practice into real estate education. The first examines integration at the programme level through the use of iLearn as a mechanism for personal development planning (PDP). The second examines the use of a technologically enhanced learning and teaching environment at the level of an individual module.Findings – Both case studies report some degree of success in achieving specific learning objectives using e‐learning techniques. With respect to PDP, it is too early to fully evaluate the exact contribution of iLearn. The evidence from the second case study suggests that use of a technologically enhanced class room set‐up to solve simulated cases in the context of a real finance and investment module, facilitates creative ...

The rural economy and society study group

Summary The RESSG is an active and lively organisation that seeks to further theoretically‐informed debate on ‘rural’ problems. It is located at the academic end of the spectrum providing a seedbed for critical and progressive researchers to undertake their analysis. It is expanding its national and international links through a process of inter‐group networking. There are opportunities here for the RESSG to develop a stronger relationship with like‐minded practitioners and to penetrate the largely atheoretical world of the policy‐makers. The constant supply of critically invigorating (and relatively cheap!) books provides a key resource for those planners trying to grapple with the restructuring of the British countryside.