ABSTRACT
Planning systems are often portrayed as having two interrelated functions. First, they aim to resolve conflicts between neighbours over the use of land; second, they aim to assert and promote particular place qualities to improve quality of life, economic competitiveness or environmental conditions (Vigar et al. 2000). These purposes come together in strategic plans to set out principles which can shape polices and practices in specified territories to produce a set of outcomes which meet particular goals. However, the functions which the plans articulate need not necessarily be limited to the scale at which the plans are drawn up. The second purpose of planning in practice inevitably involves horizontal coordination of policies and practices across policy sectors within specified territorial limits and also a vertical dimension in bringing together actors from various spatial scales.
