Shadows of Power examines public policy and in particular, the communicative processes of policy and decision-making. It explore the important who, how and why issues of policy decisions. Who really takes the decisions? How are they arrived at and why were such processes used? What relations of power may be revealed between the various participants?
Using stories from planning practices, this book shows that local planning decisions, particularly those which involve consideration of issues of 'public space' cannot be understood separately from the socially constructed, subjective...

This text examines public policy, in particular, the communicative processes of policy and decision-making. It explores the important who, how and why issues of policy decisions. Who really takes the decisions? How are they arrived at and why were such processes used? What relations of power may be revealed between the various participants? Using stories from real planning practice, this book shows that local planning decisions, particularly those which involve consideration of issues of public space cannot be understood separately from the socially constructed, subjective territorial...

The European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) is the most international planning policy document that exists. This book is a comprehensive account of the process of preparing, negotiating and adopting this document. It outlines the differing perspectives of the European member states and shows that the last thing its proponents wanted was a masterplan. The Making of the 'European Spatial Development Perspective' offers a snapshot of contemporary European spatial planning.

Planning is not a technical and value free activity. Planning is an overt political system that creates both winners and losers. The Planning Polity is a book that considers the politics of development and decision-making, and political conflicts between agencies and institutions within British town and country planning. The focus of assessment is how British planning has been formulated since the early 1990s, and provides an in-depth and revealing assessment of both the Major and Blair governments' terms of office. The book will prove to be an invaluable guide to the British...