117 research outputs found
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Neo-advocacy for Neo-liberal Times: Planning Aid and the Advocacy Project in England
The paper reviews the literature on advocacy planning and interweaves empirical evidence drawn from staff and volunteers of Planning Aid England to reconsider its basis and effectiveness. Forms of âneo-advocacyâ planning are deemed necessary given the continuing under-representation of lower-income groups and other minority groups in planning and in an era of neo-liberal policy. The attention of policymakers and of the planning profession more widely should be given to how neo-advocacy functions are sustained. It is concluded that the aims of Planning Aid are so important to the legitimacy and effectiveness of planning that it needs to be placed on a more secure footing
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The power of perceptions: exploring the role of urban design in cycling behaviours and healthy ageing
Good urban design has the power to aid in the provision of inclusive journey environments, yet traditionally neglects the perspective of the cyclist. This paper starts from the premise that more can be done to understand and articulate cyclistsâ experiences and perceptions of the urban environment in which they cycle, as part of a closer linking of urban design qualities with transport planning and infrastructure interventions. This approach is particularly applicable in relation to older cyclists, a group whose needs are often poorly understood and for whom perceptions can significantly influence mobile behaviours. Currently, knowledge regarding the relationship between the built environment and physical activity, including cycling, in older adults is limited. As European countries face up to the challenges associated with ageing populations, some metropolitan regions, such as Munich, Germany, are making inroads into widening cyclingâs appeal across generations through a combination of urban design, policy and infrastructure initiatives. The paper provides a systematic understanding of the urban design qualities and built environment features that affect cycling participation and have the potential to contribute towards healthy ageing. Urban design features such as legibility, aesthetics, scale and open space have been shown to influence and affect other mobile behaviours (e.g. walking), but their role as a mediator in cycle behaviour remains under-explored. Many of these design âqualitiesâ are related to individual perceptions; capturing these can help build a picture of quality in the built environment that includes an individualâs relationship with their local neighbourhood and its influences on their mobility choices. Issues of accessibility, facilities, and safety in cycling remain crucial, and, when allied to these design âqualitiesâ, provides a more rounded reflection of everyday journeys and trips taken or desired. The paper sets out the role that urban design might play in mediating these critical mobility issues, and in particular, in better understanding the âquality of the journeyâ. It concludes by highlighting the need for designers, policy makers, planners and academics to consider the role that design can play in encouraging cycle participation, especially as part of a healthy ageing agenda
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The dynamics of âpost-crisisâ spatial planning: a comparative study of office conversion policies in England and The Netherlands
Land policies governing individual and institutional rights to buildings and land are shaped by the socio-cultural, political and economic contexts within which they emerge and are (re)embedded within. This leads to considerable variation across place and space. Yet within this diversity commonalities emerge, not least in the ârationalesâ that inform the development and implementation of land policies. These are explored via a comparative study of England - where market-based reforms have guided land use planning measures for some time â and the Netherlands; a country which is taking steps to introduce market-based values such as competition, efficiency and flexibility into its âregulatoryâ spatial planning system (Evers, 2015). Through this comparison, we explore the way in which neoliberal political ideology and financial imperatives, sharpened by the 2008 global economic downturn, have resulted in changes to English and Dutch land policies. We illustrate this discussion by referring to land use policies under which authorities have sought to facilitate a change of land use, for example from office to residential usages. In both countries, these reforms have been introduced as part of attempts to make planning more âefficientâ and supportive of real estate markets. While there is variation in some of the drivers and apparatus used, we find parallels between the two countriesâ experiences. Our paper argues that fiscal austerity, economic uncertainty and the import of market values reproduces a shared reality of governance reform amongst the two countries, creating opportunities for critical learning between them
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The role of Planning Aid England in supporting communitiesâ engagement in planning
In considering the position of community engagement within planning in a time of neo-liberalism and a context of âneo-communitarian localismâ (cf. Jessop, 2002; DeFilippis, 2004), this paper reviews the role and relevance of Planning Aid in terms of its performance and aspirations in guiding and transforming planning practice (Friedmann, 1973; 1987; 2011) since its inception in 1973. In doing this we reflect on the critiques of Planning Aid performance provided by Allmendinger (2004) and bring the account up-to-date following on from past considerations (e.g. Bidwell and Edgar, 1982; Thomas, 1992; Brownill and Carpenter, 2007a,b; Carpenter and Brownill, 2008) and prompted by the 35 years since the University of Reading produced the first published work reviewing Planning Aid (Curtis and Edwards, 1980). Our paper is timely given renewed attacks on planning, the implementation of a form of localism and reductions in funding for planning in a time of austerity. Our view is that the need for forms of âneo-advocacyâ planning and community development are perhaps even more necessary now, given the continuing under-representation of lower income groups, minority groups and to allow for the expression of alternative planning futures. Thus further consideration of how to ensure that Planning Aid functions are sustained and understood requires the attention of policymakers and the planning profession more widely
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Shovel ready? An empirical investigation of stalled residential sites.
Drawing upon a national database of unimplemented planning permissions and 18 in-depth case studies, this paper provides both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the phenomenon of stalled sites in England. The practical and conceptual difficulties of classifying sites as stalled are critically reviewed. From the literature, it is suggested that planning permission may not be implemented due to lack of financial viability, strategic behaviour by landowners and house-builders and other problems associated with the development process. Consistent with poor viability, the analysis of the national database indicates that a substantial proportion of the stalled sites is high density apartment development and/or is located in low house value areas. The case studies suggest that a combination of interlinked issues may need to be resolved before a planning permission can be implemented. These include; the sale of the land to house-builders, re-negotiation of the planning permission and, most importantly, improvement in housing market conditions
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Inside the black box: unravelling the development viability appraisal process
Over the last decade issues related to the financial viability of development have become increasingly important to the English planning system. As part of a wider shift towards the compartmentalisation of planning tasks, expert consultants are required to quantify, in an attempt to rationalise, planning decisions in terms of economic âviabilityâ. Often with a particular focus on planning obligations, the results of development viability modelling have emerged as a key part of the evidence base used in site-specific negotiations and in planning policy formation. Focussing on the role of clients and other stakeholders, this paper investigates how development viability is tested in practice. It draws together literature on the role of calculative practices in policy formation, client feedback and influence in real estate appraisals and stakeholder engagement and consultation in the planning literature to critically evaluate the role of clients and other interest groups in influencing the production and use of development viability appraisal models. The paper draws upon semi-structured interviews with the main producers of development viability appraisals to conclude that, whilst appraisals have the potential to be biased by client and stakeholder interests, there are important controlling influences on potential opportunistic behaviour. One such control is local authoritiesâ weak understanding of development viability appraisal techniques which limits their capacity to question the outputs of appraisal models. However, this also is of concern given that viability is now a central feature of the town planning system
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An empirical investigation of stalled residential sites in England
Drawing upon a national database of unimplemented planning
permissions and 18 in-depth case studies, this paper provides both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the phenomenon of stalled sites in England. The practical and conceptual difficulties of classifying sites as stalled are critically reviewed. From the literature, it is suggested that planning permission may not be implemented due to lack of financial viability, strategic behaviour by landowners and house-builders, and other problems associated with the development process. Consistent with poor viability, the analysis of a national database indicates that a substantial proportion of stalled sites are
high density apartment developments usually is located in low house value areas. The case studies suggest that a combination of interlinked issues may need to be resolved before a planning permission can be implemented. These include; the sale of the land to house-builders, renegotiation of the planning permission and, most importantly, improvement in housing market conditions
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The rise of the private sector in fragmentary planning in England
Over the past 30 years, the English planning system has undergone a series of reforms designed to increase efficiency, promote growth and, since 2010, achieve cost savings under the auspices of austerity. These reforms can be understood as part of a broader reorganisation of public services and functions in many Western democracies which have seen private sector providers move in to service new markets and take on functions previously delivered by public servants. Drawing on findings from research with key actors from both public and private sectors, this paper argues that the English planning system is increasingly fragmented, and task-oriented, and requiring of knowledge and skills-sets which local planning authorities typically do not possess. A relational shift regarding the (in)capacity of public planners and private sector actors drawn from a range of
disciplinary backgrounds has occurred, with the latter now providing a wide range of inputs to the planning system, typically in the guise of consultants. While planning has long been an exercise in co-production, involving a number of different actors, there has been limited discussion of the role private sector actors play in servicing and reproducing the planning system. The paper therefore describes how âfragmentary planningâ has emerged in England, and reflects on the knowledges, skills and capacities the system now requires. In concluding, we outline the questions of governance that these dynamics raise, and suggest avenues of further research
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