ABSTRACT
The discussion in Chapter 2 made it clear that the effects of economic forces on the city are complex and mediated by national political and institutional factors. The international level of regulation has become more important, but, despite talk of a return to a Europe of city-states there seems to be no uniform pattern of political relationships between supranational government and cities. National systems of administration and law separate European countries in significant ways. Moves to closer integration of planning systems will be restricted by these differences. In eastern Europe the development of new legal and administrative structures has only just started. The emerging planning systems are as yet unclear. There are significant differences between east and west and between north and south. Planning regulation is less readily accepted in southern cities. The beneficiaries of recent economic growth are, for the most part, northern cities where pro-growth, competitive attitudes and institutions have provided models of urban success. The growth of entrepreneurial attitudes and greater private sector involvement in city governance are mediated by a range of factors. National institutional differences are clearly important to the development of the capacity to govern cities. However, in addition to national differences local factors such as party politics and availability of resources have clear impacts on the development of planning in the cities examined in Chapter 4. It is clear that urban planning in European cities is shaped from the complex interaction of international, national and local forces. Part II of this book develops the understandings from Part I through a more detailed study of both national context and local planning projects in Britain, France and Sweden.
