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This is the fifth edition of the classic text for students of urban and regional planning. It gives an historical overview of the developments and changes in the theory and practice of planning, throughout the entire twentieth century.

This extensively revised edition follows the successful format of previous editions:

• it introduces the establishment of planning as part of the public health reforms of the late nineteenth century and goes on to look at the insights of the great figures who influenced the early planning movement, leading up to the creation of the post-war planning machine
• national and regional planning, and planning for cities and city regions, in the UK, from 1945 to 2010, is then considered. Specific reference is made to the most important British developments in recent times, including the Single Regeneration Budget, English Partnerships, the devolution of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the establishment of the Mayor of London and the dominant urban sustainability paradigm
• planning in Western Europe, since 1945, now incorporating new material on EU-wide issues, as well as updated country specific sections
• planning in the United States, since 1945, now discussing the continuing trends of urban dispersal and social polarisation, as well as initiatives in land use planning and transportation policies
• finally the book looks at the nature of the planning process at the start of the twenty-first century, reflecting briefly on shifts in planning paradigms since the 1960s and going on to discuss the main issues of the 1990s and 2000s, including sustainability and social exclusion and looking forward to the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews (2)

good book
This book is a classic work in urban planning.
I wish Amazon provid more good book in urban planning.

An introductory book for students
When I was the first year postgraduate student in Bartlett School of Planning, UCL,University of London, this book was like a compass to explore the world of urban planning. The lecture by Peter was not easy, but something complicated. Because this book was highly recommended as an introductory book by UCL, I could overcome my lack of knowlege on Western planning context. If you need to understand the general and historical context of urban and regional planning in developed countries, this book is the best to satisfy your requirement. ... Read more

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The very best of classic and contemporary writings to illuminate the planning of cities and metropolitan areas. Forty-five selections include contributions from Mumford, Jacobs, McHarg, Davidoff, and Harr through to Fainstein, Healey, Hoch and Beatley. ... Read more

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This book provides an up-to-date introduction to the fundamental methods related to planning and human services delivery. These methods aid planners in answering the following crucial questions about human activities within a given community: Who are they? (demographic analysis); What do they do? (economic analysis); Where do these activities occur? (land use analysis); and How are human activities connected spatially? (transportation analysis). This book brings these four pillars of planning methods together in an introductory text targeted towards senior level undergraduate and graduate students. Planning professionals will also find this book an invaluable reference.

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent and Great Price!!
Excellent and Great Price!!

Jay Mittal
Doctoral Candidate
University of Cincinnati ... Read more

Product Description
Planning is described as being increasingly sidelined by the impacts of neo-liberalism. At the same time, 'culture' is possessing a new creative weight and importance in sociological, economic and ecological terms. This book argues that, in light of this cultural turn, there is a need and opportunity to re-position planning and proposes a new system of 'culturalisation'. Culturalisation is defined as the ethical, critical and reflexive integration of culture into planning. This original and practical system is put forward, showing how deeper, richer and more relevant culture can be utilised in planning, taking into account cultural theory, neo-modern and post-modern planning theory. This new theoretical approach is illustrated with global examples and two chapters detailing new vistas for a refurbished planning. ... Read more

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Regions have always been powerful spatial metaphors and political concepts. However, it is within the context of more recent paradigm shifts that 'regions' have acquired the intense economic, political and social salience they now enjoy.Bringing together comparative case studies from Central Europe and South America, the book focuses on 'new' regions; regions created as political projects of modernisation and 're-scaling'. In doing so, it de-codes 'New Regionalism' in terms of its contributions to institutional change, but also of its contestedness and contradictions. It questions whether these regions are merely a strategy of neo-liberal adjustment to changing political and economic condition, or whether they are indicative of true reform, of greater citizen participation and of empowerment. It assesses whether these regions are really representing something new or whether they are a reconfiguration of traditional power relationships. It provides a timely critical analysis of 'region-building' and the extent to which national processes of decentralisation and subnational processes of regionalism can enhance the effectiveness and responsiveness of governance. ... Read more

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This book is the first comprehensive Australian planning text to be written in over 30 years. It incorporates both theory and current practice, providing an overview of the discipline. It provides a comprehensive view of the major issues and principal activities which occupy planning practitioners today. Further, and most importantly, the conceptual framework of the text is underpinned by the tenets of sustainability and social equity, reflecting the breadth of the authors' planning expertise, theoretical positions and practice experience. The book defines and contextualizes planning in terms of its theoretical, ideological and professional foundations. The history of the discipline, its relationship to broader governance structures and its legislative framework are canvassed. Specific issues central to planning practice today are explored and discussed.Richly illustrated with current case study examples, Planning Australia will have broad appeal for those with an interest in planning - students, community groups, practitioners and the concerned citizen. ... Read more

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Globalization was the buzzword of the 1990s. Advances in communication technology, computing and air travel have all contributed to the establishment of what has been referred to as a "network society" that encompasses the globe. Such arguments clearly have a significance on planning - an activity which has been concerned with controlling and shaping the use of space. This volume brings together contributions from across the world in order to address some of the questions that arise from such global changes. The opening section addresses the globalization debate directoy, raising some theoretical issues and exploring the planning implications across a range of world cities. This is followed by an exploration of the way the theoretical debate about planning may need to advance to encompass more contemporary forces. A number of more specific accounts addressing the need for adaptation are offered. The final section focuses on two aspects - housing and sustainability - which persist as "wicked problems" and are likely to remain at the top of the agenda in the third millennium. ... Read more

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Planning under Pressure offers managers, planners, consultants and students a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the Strategic Choice Approach, which has gradually been attracting worldwide recognition as a fresh, versatile and practical approach to collaborative decision-making under uncertainty.
Starting from basic principles, the book uses helpful diagrams and clear explanations to demonstrate practical ways of approaching daunting decision problems; of devising possible ways forward; and of working effectively towards agreed courses of action.Along he way, decision makers are helped to cope with diverse sources of uncertainty - technical, political, managerial - in a strategic manner.
In this extended third edition, the authors have added short contributions from 21 users from seven countries.These new contributors present lessons from their varied experiences in adapting the Strategic Choice Approach to guide decision-making and learning in settings ranging from the re-routing of a controversial city carnival procession to national policy for the management of nuclear waste.

· Provides a step-by-step guide to the Strategic Choice Approach and guidance on how you can adapt it to your own organizational setting;
· Offers examples of its application in practice to many kinds and levels of strategic challenge around the globe;
· Authored by the two leading members of the team of pioneers who have been at the heart of development of the approach and its wide range of applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A valuable alternative to 'classical' strategic planning
This book looks a bit intimidating on first approach, and it is certainly long, comprehensive and detailed. However, there is an excellent 'quick access guide' immediately before the first chapter.

On taking the plunge, its good qualities rapidly become apparent. Anyone with an interest in planning, including senior managers, should at least read the Quick Access Guide and the first Chapter, Foundations. Many will be tempted to move forward, partly by the exceptionally useful diagrams which brilliantly illustrate the authors' underlying frameworks for planning. Planning specialists will find the whole book a valuable reference and guide to process.

There are innumerable books about business planning, most of which are concerned with short and long run profitability and competitive positioning as a major objective. There are far fewer that address the universals of strategic choice, whether the objective is to build a business, develop a community or plan a town precinct. This is one of the few books on strategic planning that really fit public sector organisations without heavy 'translation'. It is in fact an excellent description of sound processes for policy creation. At the same time, it is also valuable in providing useful conceptual and process rigour in support of conventional private sector strategic planning.

It is, above all, a guide to strategic thinking and interaction, seen as a continuous process of making choices in an understanding of the connectedness of issues and the dynamic nature of the environment. In style it is reminiscent of Weisbord, Marvin R, et al. Discovering Common Ground: How future search conferences bring people together. and Weisbord, Marvin R and Janoff, Future Search on future search, with their emphasis on extensive use of working drawings in the text and a process that depends heavily on open interaction.

In many ways it is complementary to the literature of future search. Future search tends to concentrate on the human dynamics involved in gaining consent, with less attention given to the, often very complex, underlying analysis that is needed to identify solutions that will work in practice. Planning under Pressure, on the other hand, has a sharp focus on a set of processes for arriving at sound decisions through time in conditions of complexity. It does not give much overt attention to who should take part (other than that the processes should be participative) or how to encourage the human process of working through our hopes, fears and mental models to arrive at decisions which people can embrace, although it does emphasize four important shifts from 'classical' planning:

* from routine procedures towards a continuous learning process
* from expert techniques towards open technology with a focus on decisions
* from individual working to interactive participation across all 'boundaries'
* from 'problem solving' to incremental progress towards strategic products

The underlying theme is the continuing need to make strategic choices through 'creative management of multiple uncertainties'.

The authors work through four modes of operation that are fundamental to the process:

* shaping mode is concerned with structuring a complex problem in terms of a set of decision areas, some of which are connected through decision links (this process is similar to the Ackoff, Russell L. Creating the Corporate Future: Plan or be Planned for concept of 'formulating the mess')
* in designing mode a set of decision options is identified for each decision area and feasible decision schemes are developed
* in comparing mode, comparison areas are formulated and relative assessments made
* in choosing mode uncertainties are developed and explored and a 'commitment package' is developed

These 'modes' are not used in a rigid cycle, but flexibly and iteratively. Skills in each mode are addressed in depth in a chapter of its own (Chapters 5-8)

The remaining chapters are addressed primarily to those who will be responsible for managing the process, being concerned with 'Practicalities', the use of electronic tools to support the process and extensions of the techniques to policy work, project management and developing common ground. (It is unfortunate that the second edition has not made any reference to Weisbord's work, which is highly complementary to this.)

It is also unfortunate that there is not more reference to systems dynamics, particularly to 'soft systems' technologies. This too is a complementary body of theory and practice. In many situations its use would add richness and robustness to the four 'modes of working', particularly through its capacity to highlight delay and the impact of unintended consequences.

Planning under Pressure offers a useful analytical alternative to 'classical' strategic planning approaches; it offers an invaluable analytical tool for all forms of planning such as policy planning that are not business based; and it provides a complementary body of analytical tools to support participative approaches to developing preferred futures and community building activities. ... Read more

Product Description
The European Union expanded its membership in 2004 to include a number of new countries, including those forming part of the former Soviet Union. This expansion has had significant consequences for both pre-existing and new members of the European Union. New member states are assimilating into a new institutional and policy framework, while the changing geography of Europe provides a different context for policy development in pre-2004 member states. One of the more important fields in which these changes will have an impact is in regional development. The admission of the new countries changes patterns of economic and social disparities across the territory of the European Union, which in turn demands that existing approaches to regional development are reconsidered. An approach which has proved to be one of the most innovative is spatial planning. This book brings together a team of academics and policy makers from across the new Europe who are involved in regional development and spatial planning, providing insights into different approaches and a valuable opportunity to compare experiences across European borders. ... Read more

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Adopting an ethnographic approach in the study of community participation and power and the significance of 'race' in three ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in London, this book highlights that there has been a 'pluralistic turn' in British urban regeneration policy. Maginn from Edith Cowan University, WA. ... Read more

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Bringing together an interdisciplinary team from across the EU, this book connects elements of cultural and planning theories to explain differences and peculiarities among EU member states. A 'culturized planning model' is introduced to consider the 'rules of the game' how culture affects planning practices not only on an explicit 'surface' but also on a 'hidden' implicit level. The model consists of three analytical dimensions 'planning artifacts', 'planning environment' and 'societal environment'. This book adopts these dimensions to compare planning cultures of different European countries. This sheds light not only on the organizational or institutional structure of planning, but also the influence of deeper cultural values and layers on planning and implementation processes. ... Read more

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Most European cities have experienced problems in certain neighbourhoods that are termed "deprived" or "excluded". Traditionally these were found in the oldest urban areas with lowest quality housing, but since the 1980s, such areas have emerged in housing estates built around the cities' edges. These neighbourhoods are marked by visible physical and social problems that disfigure the otherwise pleasant urban landscape, and can be seen as "urban sores". This text provides a deeper understanding of why urban decay and deprived neighbourhoods appear in certain parts of cities, as well as how they affect residents and cities in general. Drawing on in-depth empirical research from Denmark, it compares this with other studies from Europe and the United States. The author combines theories and methodologies from the fields of geography (on segregation), economics (on processes of urban decay) and social research (on social exclusion and deprived neighbourhoods) to provide illuminating insights. ... Read more

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This is the third book in the series offering a new selection of the best urban planning scholarship from each of the world's planning school associations. The award winning papers presented illustrate the concerns and the discourse of planning scholarship communities and provide a glimpse into planning theory and practice by planning academics around the world.

All those with an interest in urban and regional planning will find this collection valuable in opening new avenues for research and debate.

Product Description
This text describes the processes and major impediments in high level strategic planning. It introduces a new mechanism, new tools and processes for use in strategic planning. A number of case studies are introduced as examples of the use of the proposed methodology. ... Read more