ABSTRACT
In our typology we have identified trend planning as lying at the opposite end of a spectrum of planning practice running from regulative planning. It is not, however, merely a weakened form of regulative planning, the embodiment of the ‘death of planning’: it is not non-planning. Rather it is a distinctive style, which uses the tools of the land-use planning system to pursue particular goals. Trend planning seeks to facilitate private-sector development rather than control it. The resulting economic activity and change in the built form is regarded as the evidence of successful planning. This style considers that the public interest is best served by the development itself rather than by any planning gain that may be secured from the developers. The preferred pattern of land uses in an area is that identified by market actors rather than professional planners, and the latter are urged to be responsive to market pressures.
