This is a trans-country investigation of the provision of bus terminals as sign structures that m... more This is a trans-country investigation of the provision of bus terminals as sign structures that may affect their subjectivist recognition and hence design. In relation to real estate and commercial development, they are to be understood as socially significant civic spaces. The incorporation of public bus terminals into private developments can be used as a measure of the pressures occasioned by the commodification of land as ranked in terms of land values. This tends to put bus terminals out of sight and further diminish any public support for their conservation.
Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 1999
Regional land-use planning and regionally-based economic development have evolved to a large exte... more Regional land-use planning and regionally-based economic development have evolved to a large extent as parallel but separate entities, each occupying distinct policy domains. This absence of holism in regional policy-making has been mirrored by the limited level of academic interest in examining the linkages between regional economic development policies, on one hand, and physical land-use planning, on the other. This paper considers the extent to which proposals from the Blair-led Labour government for Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) in England represent a continuation of the historic disjunction between economic development and strategic planning. It begins by assessing earlier attempts to integrate strategic planning and economic development concerns and, in light of the experience of earlier initiatives, assesses the prospects for the latest set of 'regional' proposals. Firstly, it explores the means by which conflict between the development-led priorities of RDAs and those expressed through RPG might be resolved. Secondly, it considers the extent to which the relative autonomy accorded to individual regions to determine their approaches marks the emergence of a genuinely 'region-specific' planning as opposed to the continuation of 'centralist regional' planning.
Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 2010
In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a ‘spatial ... more In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a ‘spatial planning’ approach that goes beyond traditional land-use planning in integrating policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes which influence the nature of places. At the regional level, regional planning guidance was replaced by regional spatial strategies (RSSs) and, at the local level, existing local land-use planning documents were replaced with a portfolio of documents that make up the new local development framework (LDF). Together, the LDF and RSS make up the statutory development plan for an area. At the heart of the new spatial planning reforms is a heightened emphasis on stakeholder and community involvement. This paper brings together research at two different spatial scales. The ‘Spatial Plans in Practice’ study examined stakeholder involvement in LDF preparation across England. Parallel research examined the experience of stakeholders in th...
In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a `spatial ... more In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a `spatial planning' approach that goes beyond traditional land-use planning in integrating policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes which influence the nature of places. At the regional level, regional planning guidance was replaced by regional spatial strategies (RSSs) and, at the local level, existing local land-use planning documents were replaced with a portfolio of documents that make up the new local development framework (LDF). Together, the LDF and RSS make up the statutory development plan for an area. At the heart of the new spatial planning reforms is a heightened emphasis on stakeholder and community involvement. This paper brings together research at two different spatial scales. The `Spatial Plans in Practice' study examined stakeholder involvement in LDF preparation across England. Parallel research examined the experience of stakeholders in the formation of the North West RSS. Drawing on this empirical base, we examine experiences of stakeholder involvement in the reformed spatial planning system and discuss the implications for the future.
This paper examines the delivery of infrastructure requirements related to the plan-making (LDF) ... more This paper examines the delivery of infrastructure requirements related to the plan-making (LDF) process in England introduced as part of the 2004 planning system reforms. Success or otherwise in terms of plan implementation and infrastructure delivery is crucial if the reformed spatial planning system is to be successful. The paper draws on research undertaken as part of a government-sponsored research project into the operation of the new LDF process. The research reveals a significant gap between government expectations and current practice. It suggests that longer-term commitments by central government, alongside improved understanding of the spatial planning process and the role of local government as part of a continued drive for ‘culture change’ among local planning authorities and delivery partners, will be required if the current barriers to the delivery of infrastructure are to be overcome. Otherwise, the new-style LDFs are as likely to be plagued by implementation gaps as were their predecessors.
This is a trans-country investigation of the provision of bus terminals as sign structures that m... more This is a trans-country investigation of the provision of bus terminals as sign structures that may affect their subjectivist recognition and hence design. In relation to real estate and commercial development, they are to be understood as socially significant civic spaces. The incorporation of public bus terminals into private developments can be used as a measure of the pressures occasioned by the commodification of land as ranked in terms of land values. This tends to put bus terminals out of sight and further diminish any public support for their conservation.
Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 1999
Regional land-use planning and regionally-based economic development have evolved to a large exte... more Regional land-use planning and regionally-based economic development have evolved to a large extent as parallel but separate entities, each occupying distinct policy domains. This absence of holism in regional policy-making has been mirrored by the limited level of academic interest in examining the linkages between regional economic development policies, on one hand, and physical land-use planning, on the other. This paper considers the extent to which proposals from the Blair-led Labour government for Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) in England represent a continuation of the historic disjunction between economic development and strategic planning. It begins by assessing earlier attempts to integrate strategic planning and economic development concerns and, in light of the experience of earlier initiatives, assesses the prospects for the latest set of 'regional' proposals. Firstly, it explores the means by which conflict between the development-led priorities of RDAs and those expressed through RPG might be resolved. Secondly, it considers the extent to which the relative autonomy accorded to individual regions to determine their approaches marks the emergence of a genuinely 'region-specific' planning as opposed to the continuation of 'centralist regional' planning.
Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 2010
In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a ‘spatial ... more In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a ‘spatial planning’ approach that goes beyond traditional land-use planning in integrating policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes which influence the nature of places. At the regional level, regional planning guidance was replaced by regional spatial strategies (RSSs) and, at the local level, existing local land-use planning documents were replaced with a portfolio of documents that make up the new local development framework (LDF). Together, the LDF and RSS make up the statutory development plan for an area. At the heart of the new spatial planning reforms is a heightened emphasis on stakeholder and community involvement. This paper brings together research at two different spatial scales. The ‘Spatial Plans in Practice’ study examined stakeholder involvement in LDF preparation across England. Parallel research examined the experience of stakeholders in th...
In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a `spatial ... more In 2004 the English planning system was subject to extensive reforms which introduced a `spatial planning' approach that goes beyond traditional land-use planning in integrating policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes which influence the nature of places. At the regional level, regional planning guidance was replaced by regional spatial strategies (RSSs) and, at the local level, existing local land-use planning documents were replaced with a portfolio of documents that make up the new local development framework (LDF). Together, the LDF and RSS make up the statutory development plan for an area. At the heart of the new spatial planning reforms is a heightened emphasis on stakeholder and community involvement. This paper brings together research at two different spatial scales. The `Spatial Plans in Practice' study examined stakeholder involvement in LDF preparation across England. Parallel research examined the experience of stakeholders in the formation of the North West RSS. Drawing on this empirical base, we examine experiences of stakeholder involvement in the reformed spatial planning system and discuss the implications for the future.
This paper examines the delivery of infrastructure requirements related to the plan-making (LDF) ... more This paper examines the delivery of infrastructure requirements related to the plan-making (LDF) process in England introduced as part of the 2004 planning system reforms. Success or otherwise in terms of plan implementation and infrastructure delivery is crucial if the reformed spatial planning system is to be successful. The paper draws on research undertaken as part of a government-sponsored research project into the operation of the new LDF process. The research reveals a significant gap between government expectations and current practice. It suggests that longer-term commitments by central government, alongside improved understanding of the spatial planning process and the role of local government as part of a continued drive for ‘culture change’ among local planning authorities and delivery partners, will be required if the current barriers to the delivery of infrastructure are to be overcome. Otherwise, the new-style LDFs are as likely to be plagued by implementation gaps as were their predecessors.
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Papers by Mark Baker