ABSTRACT
In this final chapter the aim is to reflect upon the preoccupations and agendas of town planning, as illustrated in the book, and to consider its likely future emphasis. This chapter is written by the editor, and, in order to encourage debate, the account does not just constitute a conclusion to the contributions, but also includes the editor’s own observations on the situation (linking back to earlier Volumes and her other work on the professional culture of planning, such as Greed (1994a and b)), in places taking the role of Devil’s Advocate to stimulate debate. Most contributors imply that British town planning must inevitably be concerned with sustainability to a greater extent than previously. Therefore one key theme in this chapter will be to consider what effect the sustainability agenda is actually having on reshaping the town planning discourse, and thus the other ‘plannings’. As has been demonstrated, each contributor, including the editor, holds somewhat different views on the priorities and solutions to the ‘urban problem’, reflecting the range of views found within the planning profession itself, which is by no means a unitary group. Some planners are quite cynical about, and untouched by, the current ‘hype’ about sustainability. This is because so many of the issues now ‘clothed’ within the jargon of the green movement are not ‘new’ but long-standing planning matters for which there are no instant total solutions, because they need to be tackled by a subtle combination of long-term physical, social, economic and environmental planning strategies. However, the sustainability agenda is valuable in giving a new perspective on old issues, in inspiring a new generation to take an interest in town planning, and as a means to achieving more effective statutory planning control. As suggested in Chapter 1, it is hoped that readers adopted a critical and analytical approach to reading the book, and as a result can develop further their own informed views on the urban situation and solutions. As stated in Volume I, there is no one right answer in town planning; it all depends on who you are and what you want to achieve and for whom.
