Addressing Planning Challenges: New Book Launch Examines Reforming Spatial Government in England

Addressing Planning Challenges: New Book Launch Examines Reforming Spatial Government in England

(IN BRIEF) At the Victoria Gallery and Museum, the Department of Geography and Planning launched a new book titled “Planning in a Failing State: Reforming Spatial Government in England,” co-edited by Dr. Olivier Sykes. The book critically analyzes England’s planning system, highlighting over a decade of changes and offering evidence-based insights. With chapters covering housing, localism, design, zoning, and Brexit’s impact on environmental planning, contributors challenge ongoing reforms by the UK government, arguing against a think-tank-led assault on democratic planning. Attendees, including Lindsey Richards from the Royal Town Planning Institute, praised the book for encapsulating major policy changes and addressing significant issues. The launch event also featured discussions on bridging gaps between local politics and planning and fostering positive changes in societal planning.

(PRESS RELEASE) LIVERPOOL, 6-Mar-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Staff and students gathered at the Victoria Gallery and Museum to officially launch a new book co-edited by the Department of Geography and Planning’s Dr Olivier Sykes, Planning in a Failing State: Reforming Spatial Government in England.

The book analyses the state of the planning system in England and offers a robust, evidence-based review of over a decade of change to planning. With a critique of ongoing planning reforms by the UK government, it argues that the planning system is often blamed for a range of issues caused by ineffective policy making by government. Including chapters on housing, localism, design, zoning and the consequences of Brexit for environmental planning, the contributors unpick a complicated set of recent reforms and counter the claims of the think-tank led assault on democratic planning.

Professor Doug Mair, Dean of Environmental Sciences welcomed attendees and introduced Lindsey Richards, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute who spoke very highly of the book and the way it had been able to skilfully encapsulate the major changes in planning policy over the last 20 years.

Dr Olivier Sykes and his fellow editor Dr John Sturzaker gave some background to how the book came about and the big issues it aims to address. They were followed by Liverpool alumnus Professor Mark Baker, who gave a summary of the academic debate surrounding planning over the last two decades.  Lastly, Jane Healey-Brown from ARUP highlighted the need to address the disconnect between local politics and local planning, as well as the gap between central and local governments, which are major barriers to planning reforms.

Earlier in the day, Lindsey Richards had also been able to spend time with students from the Department of Planning to gain an insight into the work being undertaken and the career pathways that they might consider.  She was extremely impressed with the quality of work being undertaken and was very appreciative of the opportunity to see education in action that will help to promote planning in a positive way to influence societal change.

To find out more information about the book you can access it through the University Library or via the publisher’s website.

Find out more about the Department of Geography and Planning

Further reading:

https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2023/11/20/counterproductive-tinkering-is-not-going-to-solve-the-planning-crisis/

We’re planning in a failing state – and here’s why | The Planner

Has the ‘long 2010s’ period of planning reform made life worse for the poorest in Britain? | The Planner

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Alison Cornmell
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SOURCE: University of Liverpool