'The planners' dream goes wrong?' Questioning citizen-centred planning. Issue 3 (4th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lord, Alex; Mair, Michael; Sturzaker, John; Jones, Paul
• Is Part Of: Local government studies. Volume 43:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 344
• Page End: 363
• Publication Date: 2017-05-04
• Subjects: Localism -- Neighbourhood Planning -- citizen participation -- post-political theory -- post-positivist planning theory; Local government -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Local government -- Periodicals; 352.042
• DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2017.1288618
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0300-3930

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The reform of urban and environmental planning in England since the election of the Coalition government in 2010 has resulted in the emergence of Neighbourhood Planning: a situation in which citizens can autonomously assemble, define the spatial extent of their neighbourhood and author a plan for it. In this paper, we argue that this radical policy is part of a wider agenda to de-professionalise planning as a statutory function and has its roots in an odd assemblage of classical right-wing political thinking and the prescriptions of post-positivist planning theory. This uneasy conceptual relationship reveals a wider inconsistency between the policy in rhetorical form and its practical implementation. Drawing on primary research from England's North-West and a thorough review of literature, we hope to show that the dream of citizen-centred planning masks deep tensions within the activity of urban and environmental management.