The second in the "Restructuring Rural Areas" series, this work presents an examination of the way in which the rural, and the concept of rurality is being reconstructed within urban regions.; It argues that the rural is not a fixed category but the outcome of political, economic and socio- cultural pressures. These pressures are exacerbated in southeast England - an area dominated by London and the patterns of growth associated with that city. Through close analysis of key land developmen...

What are the key rationalities that underpin planning policy discourses and how do they 'frame' seemingly irreconcilable conflicts around development and environmental protection? Providing a thorough assessment of these important questions, this stimulating book reviews planning policy in the UK and the rationality of 'sustainable development'. Supported by a wealth of empirical material collected over the past ten years, the study examines the national, regional and local tiers of planni...

In the wake of BSE, the threat to ban fox hunting and Foot and Mouth disease, the English countryside appears to be in turmoil. Long-standing uses of rural space are in crisis and, unsurprisingly, political processes in rural areas are marked by conflicts between groups, such as farmers, environmentalists, developers and local residents.Using an innovative theoretical approach based on 'networks of conventions', this book investigates the 'regionalisation' of the English countryside...

Did the 1980s and 1990s see the death of planning?Exposing the myth that has grown up around Thatcherism, leading experts from a wide range of land-use policy areas examine the changes that were brought about in planning and the environment during the 1980s and 1990s, and argue that much less was achieved than expected.Urban Planning and the British New Right questions common assumptions about planning practices under Thatcherism, concluding that the complex relation...

Planning is never far from the top of the policy or media agenda, whether this concerns 'garden-grabbing', the location of wind farms or protests about travellers' sites. The operation of the planning system raises strong views, even passions, and is highly political. Planners have to engage with developers working on multi-million pound schemes and the local communities that will be affected by such schemes. And throughout, they have to work in the public interest, delivering on broad pol...

Planning is not a technical and value free activity. Planning is an overt political system that creates both winners and losers. The Planning Polity is a book that considers the politics of development and decision-making, and political conflicts between agencies and institutions within British town and country planning. The focus of assessment is how British planning has been formulated since the early 1990s, and provides an in-depth and revealing assessment of both the Major and...

"Michael Woods has taken on the formidable task of giving an overview of rural places and society in advanced economies as a single author and has presented a book that rightly deserves to be called state-of-the-art."- Geographische Rundschau"With Rural Geography Michael Woods remedies the often underestimated dynamism of rural places and rural society by providing the much-needed synthesis of the European and North American literature on r...

This topical book transforms the analysis of housing problems into a lively, interesting and contentious subject of social scientific study, addressing themes of residential experience, inclusion/empowerment, sustainability and professionalism/managerialism, which lie at the heart of the housing and social policy debate. Each chapter considers a specific social category - such as class, gender, or disability - and evaluates the experience and understanding of housing and social policy unde...

Contemporary Politics in Australia provides a lively and wide-ranging introduction to the study of Australian politics. Written by a diverse range of experts, the book offers a comprehensive overview of current theories, debates and research in Australian political science and looks forward to new developments. It encompasses not only formal and institutionally based politics, but also the informal politics of everyday life, including the politics of Australian culture and media. The book ...

Understanding the Industrial Revolution is a fresh, new exploration of this economic phenomenon of major importance. It describes theories of economic growth, shows how these can be applied to the revolution and discusses them in the light of modern research. Furthermore, it places the debate surrounding the social effects of industrialisation into the context of economic change during the period.This book includes discussion of:* theories on the supply of capital

This collection examines the profound transformations that have characterised cities of the advanced capitalist societies in the final decades of the 20th century. It analyses ways in which relationships of contest, conflict and cooperation are realised in and through the social and spatial forms of contemporary urban life. In particular, the essays focus on the impact of economic restructuring and changing forms of urban governance on patterns of urban deprivation and social exclusion. Th...

This comprehensive yet concise textbook is the first to provide a focused, subject specific guide to planning practice and law. Giving students essential background and contextual information to planning’s statutory basis, the information is supported by practical and applied discussion to help students understand planning in the real world. The book is written in an accessible style, enabling students with little or no planning law knowledge to engage in the subject and develop the necess...