Spatial Planning and the New Localism

Over the past decade spatial planning became an orthodoxy advanced as a progressive, pro-active approach and contrasted and promising inclusive processes and win-win-win " outcomes around sustainable development, economic growth and social justice. Yet there were growing concerns and criticisms over the mechanisms used to roll out spatial planning, how it was predicated upon a consensus around growth, the prioritization of environmental concerns over economic, the lack of attention paid to coordination with other sectors, and the time taken and cost of securing permission. The election of the Coalition Government in 2010 heralded reform of spatial planning around the vague notion of Localism " and a new era characterized by a reduced central state presence, the shift from top-down " targets on housing and a new sub-local, neighbourhood emphasis upon plan making and development. Will Localism be the saviour of spatial planning by allowing it to evolve and adapt to meet the demands of different places and circumstances? Can spatial planning survive its association with New Labour or does it need to rethink itself for new times and an age of a small state and public sector austerity? This book will explore these and other questions around the nature, use and possible futures of spatial planning adding a series of critical perspectives on the experiences of spatial planning and the emerging Coalition agenda. This book was published as a special issue of Planning Practice and Research.