Neighbourhood Planning in London and the Uneven Social Geographies of Public Engagement

Lexi 1. Iacono & Claire Colomb — 2026-06-23T05:00:00Z

A new mechanism of public participation in planning has remained mobilised by more affluent social groups, renewing debates around local “civic capacity” in English (urban) governance.
Are channels of public participation in urban planning always mobilised by more privileged social groups? Decades of research in Europe and North America have shown that this is often the case, despite efforts to involve broader publics (Inner and Booher 2004; Brownill and Parker 2010). A new instrument created

- From the Field / localism, United Kingdom, England, London, neighborhood, planning politics, land-use planning, social diversity, governance, local governance, local authorities, local government

The Cost of Good Intentions: Planning Gridlock in San Francisco

David Prowler — 2018-01-30T06:00:00Z

The culture of protest that marked development and planning in San Francisco during the 1970s and 1980s was a response to the trauma of urban renewal. But this culture has left an ambiguous legacy for the present, argues author David Prowler.
In San Francisco, diffusion of decision-making and a restrictive and bureaucratic planning culture have impeded the planning of the city and focused resources on procedural battles that fail to manage its recent growth boom. Indeed, gridlock is the goal

- Debates / urban planning, urban renewal, urban development, development, San Francisco, downtown development, neighborhood preservation, planning politics

Metropolitics

Neighbourhood Planning in London and the Uneven Social Geographies of Public Engagement

The Cost of Good Intentions: Planning Gridlock in San Francisco