Identify and discuss the purpose and rationales of planning, drawing on

the historical evolution of planning in the UK.

In this essay, I will argue that the purpose of planning is to balance the peoples
concerns regarding the appearances of their towns and cities with the need to
achieve urban sustainability and to meet the challenges of the 21 st century. I will
first talk about the definition of planning. Next, I will identify the various
purposes and rationales of planning since the 19 th century and how they have
changed with different times and needs. Finally, I will proceed to argue that the
UKs planning system has followed a growth dependent paradigm since the
1970s and this has to be altered to better meet present and future needs.
Planning is an integral part of policy making and it consists of three fundamental
components. First, the policies regarding the construction of new towns,
second, the new principles for how they should be designed and finally, a legal
system controlling all development to prevent dysfunctional places from ever
being created again. Implementing a system of planning means that landowners
and developers will not be able to build whatever they want, wherever they
want. Instead, they would be subject to development plans controlled by local
government officials, who would grant permissions in an open forum to which
local residents could contribute.
Planning is important because it facilitates the development of cities and towns.

To a large extent, the UK planning system has operated on a basis of a growthdependence paradigm. This means that it has been based on market-led urban
development and has sought to provide community benefits from a share of
development profits. The two fundamental assumptions of this system is..
However, this system has not always been beneficial to the society and in some
cases, have even been detrimental. There is a growing need to balance
economic prosperity with the quality of life as both concepts conflict frequently. A
successful plan has to prevent the loss of valued components, like landscapes,
buildings, streets, and ways of life associated with these, provides for the control
of unwanted side effects, such as waste, noise, pollution, and congestion.
Planning provides a means for society to collectively decide what their town or
city should be like, and measures to achieve that vision by involving the public
and private sectors. The examples of building new infrastructure networks in
London of enabling new developments of the desired kind in a suitable location.
For example, immediately prior to the war, the accompanying legislation of the
Green Belt Act 1938 was based on the principle that existing towns and cities
should be prevented from expanding without limit. London has expanded rapidly
in the previous two decades, alarming many. The green belt was a zone around
each town and city in which development was to be strictly controlled or avoided
altogether. Rather than a static band where development was banned outright,
the Green Belt was a zone to ensure that towns and cities did not blend into each
other, creating a homogenous sprawl of urban development.
The future form of cities and the strategies that they should adopt in a global
economy and information age is still being debated. A highly attractive

alternative for cities to the current unregulated, indiscriminate change taking

place is urban sustainability, based on the principles of allowing present
generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet theirs. Within the present economic framework there is no
incentive for cities to take responsibility for the externalized damage of their
activities. Redevelopments that only address a superficial image do not provide
any socio-economic or environmental solutions. In contrast to the strategy of
city-image enhancement, sustainable development offers a very different
approach.
A foundation to urban sustainability is the overriding objective to achieve a high
quality of life for the whole community within a socio-economic framework that
minimizes the impact of the city on the local and global environment. For it to be
successfully realised, the city must tackle the dimensions of sustainability: social,
ecological, as well as economic. Sustainable cities ensure well-being and a good
quality of life for citizens, are environmentally friendly and socially integrated
and just.
Urban density is cited as a potential proponent of sustainability, offering
opportunities for increased energy savings and reducing the need for travel.
What is missing is the political question of how such a strategy could be
implemented. In this context there has been much less consideration of the
social, economic, political and cultural policies that underlie the process by which
urban sustainability could be attained.
Fundamental to achieving progress towards sustainability is an economy that
concentrates on well-being and quality of life for all. Essentially, the economy
should be regarded as being inextricably linked to the livelihoods of its residents,
rather than simply as the production, consumption and possession of
commodities. The relationship between the economy, society and the
environment needs addressing with the recognition that one cannot exist without
the others. Human life, activity and culture depend on their wider environment.
At present most economic policy concentrates on the production of greater
wealth often measured in terms of monetary value. This ignores the wealth
created by the non-market economy of family sand community and prioritizes
profit rather than meeting the human needs through the production of goods and
services.
From an ecological perspective it is also important that the economy is local. If
city economies do not connect with their local region, it is inevitable that they
will have ecological footprints far greater than their area. If there is much greater
local sourcing of resources and materials from within city regions rather than
from undifferentiated global markets abnd a dramatic reduction in the waste and
pollution exports, then the connections between cities and their surroundings will
be strengthened. As cities reclaim their clear and distinct character of dense
activities, population and connections, with a built.
Crucial to the development of a sustainable city is the commitment and will of
the population. There is a growing trend in government