Territory, Identity and Spatial Planning: Spatial Governance in a Fragmented Nation

This book provides a multi-disciplinary study of territory, identity and space in a devolved UK through the lens of spatial planning. It draws together leading internationally renowned researchers from a variety of disciplines and is the first holistic attempt to address the implications of devolution upon spatial planning and the rescaling of UK politics. Planning is essential to delivering environmental sustainability, social inclusion, improved and integrated public transport, economic development and urban regeneration and must be analyzed in respect of other aspects of New Labour's regional project, not least the government's concern with business competitiveness. At another level, the current reforms which privilege regional scale policy interventions will inevitably require changes in the divisions of powers and responsibilities at local and national levels. In other words, devolution involves a major "rescaling" of both spatial planning and development, which is unfolding rapidly and unevenlyacross Britain. This book addresses these issues, drawing on the experience of its contributors and case studies of devolved regions.