The book's aim is to draw together the economics literature relating to planning and set it out systematically. It analyses the economics of land use planning and the relationship between economics and planning and addresses questions like: What are the limits of land use planning and the extent of its objectives?; Is the aim aesthetic?; Is it efficiency?; Is it to ensure equity?; Or sustainability?; And if all of these aims, how should one be balanced against another?

The book draws together the economic literature relating to the supply of land for development. The standard view appears to be that the owners of land have no interest other than to allow their land to be used for the activity which would yield the highest income. But in reality this is not so and the book's aim is to demonstrate this, to set out the reasons and to show the economic effects of the fact that landowners have other motives.

The book covers the supply of land for urban development and shows how land has characteristics which differentiate it from other factors of...