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It has been possible to use the TRANUS integrated land use and transport modelling software as the basis for systematic research into the options for planning policy. This research, which used Swindon, England, as its model, predicted the location of floorspace used by different activities and simulated the associated traffic flows. It was also possible to calculate the energy consumed by land use and transport. It was established that the combination of a central-area car ban and a wide-reaching park-and-ride network can move up to 8% of trips from cars to other modes.

Spatial planning asserts the ideal of improving quality of life by promoting, managing and regulating place making, but spatial planning practices have often been out of place in governance environments and policy cultures, with public policy framed as if place and space are irrelevant. Emerging forms of the British planning system are explored in the context of conflict management of land use and development and promoting qualities of places. New ways of working are required and changes in the formal arrangements of the planning system are needed.

The United Kingdom Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 has been followed by 50 years of successes in many areas, such as the development of new towns. The expansion of existing country towns has been less successful, though Swindon and Basingstoke are two cases which have succeeded. Development corporations had become popular by the 1970s, and urban development corporations were set up in 1981 to promote urban renewal. There was opposition to the idea of planning in the 1950s, and the same was true from 1979 until the mid 1990s, when the government started to see the need for planning.

Forecasts for city and rural planning in the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2047 may use assumptions about how we have to change our behavior. People tend to alter behavior only when forced to rather then when convinced by moral arguments. We are increasingly affluent, but there are collective consequences of our lifestyles. There is likely to be an increased demand for housing due to divorce and other factors leading to smaller households, and the population is ageing. There is likely to be increased demand for space for homes. Increased telecoms traffic is not likely to reduce demand for travel, so transportation issues will continue to be a problem.

UK planners are increasingly operating in a theoretical vacuum in which they themselves are interpreting planning case law and guidance. Planners have an influential role in development control, since few planning proposals are actually subject to central guidance or guided by a local plan. Politicians have a less significant role, since much of the debate takes place before members are involved, and in most authorities few planning proposals come before members. Article further discusses planning decisions and responds to a paper by Mark Tewdwr-Jones.

The Single European Market and the Maastricht Treaty are expected to affect town and country planning in the UK. The elimination of non-tariff boundaries and the EC's quest for regional equality will provide new geography of development; while legislative changes, especially in the area of environment, will also affect planning in Europe, and consequently the UK aswell.

Milton Keynes is a unique area, neither city or urban sprawl but based on both the 'urban realm' of southern California and planned European cities. The initial plan stipulated a network of grid roads that would enable people to drive around the area, spliting the land into distinct districts. However, the architects chose to use formal urban features like squares. terraces and crescents when planning the districts. The result was considered a failure until a survey published in 1986 showed the residents liked it, although theu did not consider the whole to be a city.

An analysis of the development projects for the area around St Paul's Cathedral, for Paternoster Square and for the Isle of Dogs, all in London, UK, is used to examine the basic concepts of order, unity, scale and proportion that are used to define quality in urban design. The street, the square, the street block and the architecture of the buildings on them are discussed as elements of urban design.

IT WAS THE BREWER SAMUEL WHITBREAD WHO, IN 1810, first had the idea of constructing a can alto connect the Grand Union Canal in London to the River Great Ouse [...]

British public planning policy is examined in detail, with environmental implications assessed, in addition to implications for democracy, with a stress on the need for rational debate.

The designs for Bridgewater Place, Leeds, and the Spinningfields project, Manchester, are assessed. The buildings, designed by Abbey Holford Rowe, will be amongst the tallest in the region and include 27 and 16-storey towers.

Local government should promote sustainable development in the United Kingdom as a statutory duty, and plans should be developed using a collaborative approach. There should be new systems to assess progress, and new planning mechanisms should be created that are flexible and can respond t unforseen needs and major proposals using agreed criteria. Community planning should include regional and local levels. Partnership trusts can be set up to promote renewal.

The Town and Country Planning Association has issued a report on the future of planning in Britain. The report outlines principles which are integrated into a framework which links work and home. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive and positive view of planning, with sustainable development as the core philosophy. There is a need for strategies and visions and new skills will be needed of planners. Planning should ensure that the world inherited by new generations is improved in ways that help society as a whole.

The UK's planners are coming under very strong pressure to use urban land as intensively as possible. However, research indicates that very few local planning authorities are actually including intensification policies in their development plans. Furthermore, difficulties are being encountered with implementing the intensification policies that are in place. Planners are strongly aware of the challenges associated with achieving sustainable urban form through intensification. They believe that there is a need for an open-minded approach to new methods and for improved support from the appeals system.

Scotland and Wales have gained greater autonomy, and this has implications for planning issues such as land use. There are differences between Scotland and Wales, and Scotland has the ability to raise taxes, a power that Wales does not have. Wales is also more divided internally. The western areas of Wales were more in favor of greater autonomy when inhabitants voted on the issue. Welsh areas bordering England, and some coastal areas were less in favor of looser links with England. This could mean that more localised policies will be used in Wales. Constitutional change offers opportunities for improving planning policies and institutions in Wales and Scotland.

Mixed views have been expressed about the UK department of the environment's recommendations for reforming the planning system. The reforms as a whole are not likely to lead to a marked reduction in the number of planning appeals. However, there are certain areas in which the appeals process could be speeded up. The recommendations include the introduction of a mediation process, but little attention seems to have been given to the potential practical difficulties associated with such a process.

The city of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, has seen many stages in the development of its central area, but still faces considerable traffic problems, and the City Council has been obliged to set down a formal transport policy to cover a period of around 20 years. A projected rise in car ownership must be addressed if congestion is to be limited, and ways of giving priority to certain types of traffic must be considered. A restraint policy will be gradually implemented in part of the city centre, with four control zones covering around 150 hectares, and cross-city traffic routes will have to be clearly identified, as it is not possible to build a ring road. The tasks of three working groups looking at these issues are considered.

Leeds, city of fun and frolic Northern England's city centres are going European THE British have never taken to the continental European habit of filling city squares with cafes where [...]

The suburbs are paying for Britain's success in reviving its inner cities THE huge, red-fronted Mailbox building just off Birmingham's city centre was built in the 1970s as the country's [...]

Creating a new urban profile means rethinking the look of a city. The creation of Regional Development Authorities (RDAs) last year gave a clear boost to urban regeneration. Much of [...]

It is not necessarily true to state that urban regeneration in the UK will help protect the countryside from development, meet future housing needs and improve the quality of city life. Most re-usable land is in Wales, Scotland and the northern parts of England, while most new jobs will probably be in the southern part of the country, where there is not much re-usable land. It can be questioned whether it is appropriate to construct new buildings in already crowded towns to save countryside which does not seem to be required for mainstream farming.

The report entitled 'The Impact of Large Foodstores on Market Towns and District Centres' from the UK Dept of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is generally to be welcomed. However, its conclusions about how retail planning should be organized should not necessarily be accepted without question. It is clear that very careful consideration will have to be given to how modern superstore shopping can be incorporated into small market towns where in the past smaller stores have operated successfully. There is a need for a strong political lead on the whole issue of the type of cities and towns Britons really want.

It is important that the planning process in the UK is regularly re-evaluated, recognizing that planning is a learning process involving people from many different parts of society. In the 1990s, the re-evaluation of planning has focused on identifying how new goals of sustainability can be incorporated into the planning system. It is particularly important to make changes to planning legislation to take into account people who reject the outward signs of wealth and wish to live simply.

The Belfast City Partnership Board is trying to promote a sense of community, citizenship and sustainability in Belfast through city planning. Its fundamental problem is the divide between catholic and protestant communities. The city's center is increasingly seen as beloning to both communities.

The role of local government in urban renewal in London, England, is examined in detail.

The British planning system has problems in tackling issues related to the provision of motorway service areas since deregulation.

Changes in British urban policy and methods of tackling urban deprivation are examined in detail.

British planning faces a loss of confidence and an erosion of ideals, and certainty and consistency are not always achieved.

British planning appeal methods are examined in detail in terms of informality and fairness.

Key issues affecting British environmental and city planning are examined in detail

Retail decline in North Warwickshire, England, is examined in the context of policy on retail centers in Britain.

Issues related to British planning and housing policy at local and national level are examined in detail with a focus on the ruling Labor government.

Two reports have been issued on urban renewal in the United Kingdom, the Urban Task Force report and the Macpherson report. The government has become increasingly aware of the need for urban social justice, an awareness that is reflected in these reports. The Macpherson report tackles the problem of racism in cities, while the Task Force report does not mention ethnic monitoring as an important issue. The Task Force report sees the need to attarct people to cities who might otherwise live in suburbs, and ethnic relations and social justice are only seen as relevant in this context.

Sustainable development is seen as covering a range of issues such as resource efficiency and the effects of change on the environment. Urban and rural planning can play a key role in sustainable development in the United Kingdom. Local government may have difficulty in keeping abreast of the changes in this field, since they are occurring so rapidly. County planning authorities are aware of the issues, but they are unclear on the best way to include sustainable development into their policies.

There are plans to change the urban center of Harlow, England which cause concern for a number of reasons. The design of Harlow was one of the best in this category of new towns built in the 1940s and 1950s, and it would be a pity to change it without an informed debate. There is also concern about the ease with which a developer could provide a civic center while at the same time change an important element in the town's design, a water garden. The plan to move the water garden appears to lack an understanding of how different parts of a town are linked.

The United Kingdom government has published a guide called 'Planning for Sustainable Development: Towards Better Practice'. This guide offers some useful proposals, but there is concern about its plans for higher population densities in urban areas. The guide argues that urban areas have to be made attractive so that they do not lose population, and there is also a discussion of social cohesion. There are other issues such as transportation policy, which need further examination. Some policies may be environmentally necessary, but prove unpopular with car owners.

The United Kingdom government has set up an urban task force which will publish a report in summer 1999, and which has already issued an interim report. There are a range of views on the causes of problems in urban areas, the goals of urban policy, and how they can be achieved. Social exclusion is a key issue addressed by the report, which argues that middle class people should be attracted back into inner urban areas. This may be a desirable goal, but social exclusion also has to be tackled in other ways, such as through education and employment policies.

The United Kingdom Planning Policy Guidance Note 11 (PPG-11): Regional Planning, has been issued in a draft version and deals with issues beyond those of land usage. There is also a call for regional policies to be developed that will complement those of the Regional Development Agencies. There is a call for a stronger focus on regional issues rather than a reinterpretation of national policies. Many of the changes recommended in PPG-11 have the support of the Town and Country Planning Association.

UK housebuilders are facing considerable challenges as local authorities increasingly reject the recommendations of lengthy and complicated public inquiries. The government has emphasized that it does not intend to make inspectors' recommendations binding after a local public inquiry. This means that housebuilders may incur heavy legal costs with little hope of a decision in their favour being implemented. Many complex legal issues are now emerging in relation to challenges to the adoption of local plans.

There is a need for new homes in the United Kingdom, and there are good reasons for seeking to locate these new homes in urban areas. The University of Reading, England, and the Town and Country Planning Association are cooperating to study this issue. A number of factors have to be assessed such as the physical capacity of urban areas, and impact of new homes on the quality of life of residents, and the environmental impact of building new homes.

European legislation is starting to have a significant impact on planning procedures in the UK. At present, the UK operates both a land use planning system and a system based on the many initiatives introduced by the government to promote the use of European and domestic competitive funding. There are now many factors which make a single planning system preferable to a dual system. Developments in Europe make it clear that a more uniform system of spatial planning will emerge, and this is bound to have repercussions in the UK.

Pubs and other drinking places have proliferated in Ealing, England, and this has led to a number of problems. Diversity of retail outlets has been reduced as bakers and other establishments have become pubs. Local residents have also suffered from noise levels, especially where no buffer zone exists between pubs and residential areas. The issue goes beyond planning and should involve local residents, licensing authorities and the police, as well as planners.

The 1994 Greater London Plan was developed by Patrick Abercrombie for London, England, and an examination of the plan in 1994 can shed light on the ideals and goals of the time, as well as providing lessons for today's planners. The Abercrombie plan was followed by the South East Study in 1964, which became the Strategic Plan for the South East in 1970. Regional planning was abolished by the Conservative govt, unemployment hit the south east of England, and funds were diverted to the Docklands scheme. The Abercrombie plan reminds us of what we have lost in a move toward a market economy, and away from concerns like affordable housing and pollution control.

Urban planning is not a top priority in London, England even though it is Europe's largest city. Responsibility for development in the city rests on various government agen cies that appear to lack coordination. The Dept of the Environment is generally in charge of planning matters, although the Dept of Transport is responsible for the transport system while other planning issues concern the Dept of Trade and Industry. The city does have a central planning body, the London Planning Advisory Committee (LPAC), but it cannot enforce any recommendations since it lacks statutory powers. LPAC deputy chief planner Robin Clement complains that planning in the city is done largely by saying 'don't do that' instead of 'do this.'

UK urban landscaping lags behind Europe and the US due to the lack of government finance and cooperation. Commercial landscapers lead the field, such as Charles Funke's work at Broadgate, City of London. Local councils encourage commercial developers to provide landscaping by offering planning permission and land. UK firms still obtain international contracts, such as Sir Norman Foster's project for Nimes in the South of France. The mayoral system in France and Spain encourages urban landscaping. Barcelona, Spain is one of the best examples of urban landscaping in Europe.

WE REALLY do congratulate Milton Keynes,' said Margaret Thatcher, wielding her favourite plural in the city in 1986, and complimenting the 'very beautiful houses on a lovely site which itself [...]

Next week the strategic framework plan for the New Islington area in east Manchester will be officially unveiled. The plan for a mixed-use scheme has been designed by a team [...]

READING, TRADITIONALLY SEEN AS A commuter town at the heart of Berkshire, has experienced significant growth in both population and economic investment. A 70,000 sq m (753,480 sq ft)town centre [...]