Future Planners
Re-thinking the cultural, environmental and democratic role of planners and planning
The planning system has been reborn – what roles will planners be playing, and what tools will they need, to maximise the democratic potential of the planning system?
- DCLG / Gosplan Comparison Shock The re-emergence of Russian centralised planning caught my attention over the weekend. It doesn't, according to Deputy PM Vladimir Yakovlev, amount to a return to amusingly scientific output specifications for nails and screwdrivers, but rather a means to integrate cross-regional planning needs. Or, as Alexander Khloponin, Govenor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, suggested - 'We must adjust aims and tasks, and not supplies of nails and products...' continue reading on 31st July 2006
- Challenge Yvette Rather predictably, one of the key tensions to emerge from our discussions with planning departments relates to the governments rather Janus-faced approach to planning.On the one hand, there are incentives for local authroities to speedily process applications within eight weeks and, now, to deliver housing targets more quicky. On the other is the demand that authorities put more effort into community engagement - a clumsy way of saying that people's vision for their area should be central to... continue reading on 26th July 2006 Comments (2)
- Workshop and Narrative We've been developing our Future Planners story for a while now - a process that really began with the writing of the 'Production Values' chapter. And the most recent session was last week's workshop here at Demos (pictures in the Flickr feed on the right). Thanks to everyone that came and withstood the intense heat and brought real skill, experience and insight to a compelling day's work.With that workshop and through our initial thoughts from the interviews and case-studies, we have produced... continue reading on 24th July 2006
- And in the seventh month... ...there was nuclear power. Or, at least, talk about nuclear power.The government's energy report has, to nobody's surprise, signalled that rebuilding Britain's nuclear power capacity will be necessary to keep our TVs burning and our Macbooks charged. And the Prime Minister confirmed what we all feared - that 'wishful thinking won't keep the lights on'. And there was me crossing my fingers...But aside from the rights and wrongs (wrongs, wrongs) of investing in nuclear energy, there are the... continue reading on 12th July 2006 Comments (1)
- Where the rubber hits the grid-road We spent Wednesday and Thursday this week in Milton Keynes talking to planners and council members - the first of our case study visits. I had some initial thoughts I thought might be worth putting up.For the debutant visitor the grid-planned streets and wide, tree-lined pedestrian walkways lend ‘MK’ an LA-tinged other-worldliness. It was planned into existence, so inevitably it's fairly unique.Milton Keynes is indeed a special case from a planning perspective. But the challenges... continue reading on 23rd June 2006
