ABSTRACT
The last chapter set out the main trends shaping British planning in recent years; we will now explore some case studies in detail to see how these trends interact with forces operating at the urban level and the resulting approaches to urban development. The two largest cities in England have been chosen for study. The first part of the chapter looks at examples of different kinds of development project and at city-wide strategy in Birmingham. The London case also begins by looking at a number of large planning projects. The chapter then goes on to examine broader issues of urban planning across the London conurbation. London presents in a heightened form many of the general trends in British urban planning. Centralisation of decisionmaking has been a dominant factor since the abolition of the Greater London Council, and the private sector has taken an increasingly important role in strategic planning and promoting the capital as a ‘world’ city.
