CONTENTS Preface v 1 Why plan? 1 How towns and cities grow and change 2 Why towns and cities can't be left to themselves5 The role of planning 8 How planningworks 12 The rest of the book 16 2 The big picture 17 Producing a plan 17 Planning and land uses 22 The importance of infrastructure 26 The limits to spatial planning 31 3 Somewhere to lay my hat 35 The need for housebuilding 35 The amount of housebuilding 38 The location of housebuilding 42 The implications for the planning system 47 Planning and affordable housing 49 4 Downtown 53 The roots of urban decline 53 Modernist urban regeneration 54 Urban regeneration and urban communities 57 Urban regeneration and the private sector 59 The revival of the case for demolition 64 5 This green and pleasant land 69 The desirability of conservation 69 Conserving our built heritage 76 Conserving landscapes and habitats 79 Conservation and the market 82 6 Not in my back yard 87 The causes of NIMBYism 87 NIMBYism and the public interest 89 Engaging communities 95 The role of local elected politicians 100 7 My home is my castle 105 The distinctiveness of home-based development 105 Home and the neighbours 106 Home and the neighbourhood 110 Home and sustainability 114 8 The good life 121 Planning and market dynamics 121 Planning and engagement with communities and stakeholders 124 Planning and the clash of public and private interests 126 Planning for sustainable towns and cities 130 The purpose of planning 138 Notes 141 References 149 Index 161