In 2 volsAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D65134/86 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

McNamara, P F.

English

This thesis examines the attempts of the local planning authority in
Edinburgh to control and guide the development of offices in the city
centre over a period of twenty years, 1959 to 1978. The pressures
brought to bear on the planning authority from both nationally
operative property developers seeking to develop offices in the city,
and local amenity and residents' groups aiming to halt such
development, have been examined. The effects of these very different
interest groups on the formulation and implementation of land use
planning policy for the city centre have been assessed. Such an
analysis explores the political aspects of the land development
process and thereby makes a contribution towards a fuller
understanding of how a society reorganises itself in space. It is
felt that this extra dimension improves on the more economically
deterministic models which have dominated geographic thought on the
subject to date.

The results from this detailed examination of land use planning-inaction
have been used to critically reassess the existing theories
concerning patterns in the nature of the distribution of benefits
accruing from local government action. It concludes that none of the
contemporary theories can adequately explain the occurrences observed
in central Edinburgh. A list is given of the basic phenomena which
any theory on "who benefits" from local government action would have
to be capable of explaining, in an internally logical and coherent
manner, in order to be adequate. These include the automatic
safeguarding of general business interests, the ability to respond
quickly to amenity group interests and the ability of business and
amenity groups to act together in a mutually supportive way. Finally,
the thesis argues that the concept of "interests", as presently used
by theorists, requires careful re-examination in the light of its
findings

McNamara, Paul Francis

Edinburgh Research Archive

The control of office development in central Edinburgh, 1959-1978

McNamara, P

OpenGrey Repository

https://era.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/7200/1/322095_VOL2.pdf

The control of office development in central Edinburgh, 1959-1978.

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