ABSTRACT
There seems to be common agreement among observers about some of the major changes that have occurred in western societies. Global economic and technological change has caused social and political upheavals at local and national levels, forcing people, organisations and governments to find new responses to these major challenges. As telecommunications and transport technologies enable resources and people to move around the world at ever faster speeds, the institutions designed for smaller scales and slower modes of operation find it increasingly hard to cope. As the growth and decline of economies can depend on the decisions of a global network of investors, national governments and local authorities seem to lose some of their control over their territories. The competition among urban regions in the global marketplace to attract resources and the rising significance of regions in political terms, especially in the European Union, pose a new challenge to national and local authorities. Another challenge to these traditional sources of authority comes from an ever more sophisticated populace, who are concerned for the sustainability of the environment, are sceptical of the rule of experts and demand better services, more participation in their own affairs and are less responsive to the traditional forms oflegitimacy and social control. A further challenge comes from those who find themselves increasingly marginalised in the economic and social transition out of the industrial era, as they witness a proportionate deterioration of their living conditions and are unable or unwilling to participate in political decision making processes and in shared cultural experiences. These challenges clearly show that the relationship between the state and society is moving into new, somewhat unknown directions, where voting behaviour is changing and the traditional channels of representative democracy are bypassed. Spatial planning systems, as one of the significant components of the state-society relations, are facing their share of these challenges and have been under pressure for some time to provide a response.
