ABSTRACT
The need for careful land use planning to be based upon a firm knowledge of existing land use patterns is indisputable, especially in such small and highly urbanised countries as Britain and some of its European neighbours. Despite this, the state of our knowledge of urban land use is still far from satisfactory. Even the most basic facts are often contentious. Numerous independent commentators have drawn attention to the shortage and patchiness of urban land use data, and the way in which this handicaps effective land planning and allocation, yet paradoxically the acquisition of land use statistics does not appear to be a top priority for local authorities, at least in Britain. Coppock’s judgement that ‘the collection of adequate data on urban land use and land use changes is always likely to present difficulties’ (Coppock 1978:55) unfortunately remains true.
