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This paper examines the revival of regional planning as a form of planning action and policy discourse, particularly across Europe, but also attracting global interest as displayed recently by the USA and China. Whilst the UK statutory planning system has always stood out within the European planning paradigm for its centralized nature and plan-making rooted in local government, significant changes have taken place in recent years. Advocates of regional planning can cite the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act in the UK as a milestone achieved with the arrival of statutory regional planning and the preparation of Regional Spatial Strategies. The paper identifies the factors behind the revival of regional planning, examines the longstanding legacy of regional planning in Wales and the UK, and concludes on the significance of the official rediscovery of regional planning at an international level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]