Town Planning into the 21st Century

Town planning as a coherent body of thought began about one hundred years ago with the publication of Ebenezer Howard's "Tomorrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform." The 1947 Town and Country Planning Act set the standard in the U.K. for planning, and Thatcher's decade brought planning into mainstream political and economic thought. In recent years a new factor of political sensitivity, the environment, has become a greater consideration. With contributions of some of the foremost U.K. planning authorities including Peter Hall, "Town Planning into the" "21st Century" brings the field of urban planning in the U.K. completely up-to-date.

Provides a series of insights into the planning process, introduces the key issues currently facing planning and offers prescriptions for the changes required as we move into the next millenium. Leading experts outline the changing context for land use and environmental policy in Britain and explain why the existing processes and profession of town planning are likely to be unable to provide satisfactory policy responses in the future. Key themes debated include: * widening the remit of traditional town planning * giving land and buildings a community value * acting for people rather than simply for the market * promoting an equalization of environmental conditions and discouragement of motorization * the need to anticipate long term global trends at the local and national level. Contributors: Andrew Blowers, Bob Colenutt, Richard Cowell, Bob Evans, Cliff Hague, Peter Hall, Susan Owens, Eric Reade, Yvonne Rydin.

Chapter 1 From Town Planning to Environmental Planning, Bob Evans; Chapter 2 Sustainability: the New Challenge, Richard Cowell, Susan Owens; Chapter 3 Environmental Planning for Sustainable Development, Andrew Blowers; Chapter 4 Planning, Professionalism and Sustainability, Bob Evans, Yvonne Rydin; Chapter 5 Planning in the Future or Planning of the Future?, Eric Reade; Chapter 6 Can Town Planning be for People Rather than Property?, Bob Colenutt; Chapter 7 The View From London Centre, Peter Hall; Chapter 8 Town Planning into the 21st Century, Cliff Hague; Chapter 9 Society and Sustainability, Andrew Blowers;

Andrew Blowers is Professor of Social Sciences (Planning) at the Open University, Bob Evans is Head of Geography at South Bank University.