Willem Salet

The Routledge Handbook of Institutions and Planning in Action contains a selection of 25 chapters prepared by specialized international scholars of urban planning and urban studies focusing on the question of how institutional innovation occurs in practices of action. The contributors share expertise on institutional innovation and philosophical pragmatism. They discuss the different facets of these two conceptual frameworks and explore the alternative combinations through which they can be approached. The relevance of these conceptual lines of thought will be exemplified in exploring the contemporary practices of sustainable (climate-proof) urban transition. The aim of the handbook is to give a boost to the turn of institutional analysis in the context of action in changing cities. Both philosophical pragmatism and institutional innovation rest on wide international uses in social sciences and planning studies, and may be considered as complementary for many reasons. However, the combination of these different approaches is all but evident and creates a number of dilemmas. After an encompassing introductory section entitled Institutions in Action, the handbook is further divided into the following sections: Institutional innovation Pragmatism: The Dimension of Action On Justification Cultural and Political Institutions in Action Institutions and Urban Transition

The Routledge Handbook of Institutions and Planning in Action

Andy Thornley

Anton Kreukels

Metropolitan Governance and Spatial Planning explores the relationship between metropolitan decision-making and strategies to co-ordinate spatial policy. This relationship is examined across 20 cities of Europe and the similarities and differences analysed. Cities are having to formulate their urban policies in a very complex and turbulent environment. They are faced with numerous new pressures and problems and these often create contradictory conditions. The book provides a theoretical framework for exploring these issues and links this to a detailed investigation of each city. In the context of globalisation, cities in the last twenty years have experienced new patterns of activity and these usually transcend political boundaries. The management of these changes therefore requires an effort of co-ordination and different cities have found different approaches. However the institutional setting itself has not remained static. The nation states in Europe have handed over many responsibilities to the European Union while also increasing devolution to regions and cities. Government has therefore become a more complex multi-level activity. There has also been the move from government to governance. Many different public, quasi-public and private bodies are now involved in making decisions that affect urban development. Metropolitan governance is therefore also a complex multi-actor process. In these conditions of fragmented governance and the widening spatial networking of urban development, the issue of policy co-ordination become ever more important. The exploration of the 20 cities shows that many face similar difficulties while some also provide interesting examples of innovative practice. The book concludes that the way forward is to find strategies to link the different spheres of metropolitan action through 'organising connectivity'.

Comparative Case Studies of European City-Regions

Metropolitan Governance and Spatial Planning

The aspirations of individuals, organizations, and states, and their perceptions of problems and possible solutions circulate fast in this instantaneous society. Yet, the deliberation of the underlying public norms seems to escape the attention of the public. Institutions enable people to have reliable expectations of one another even when they are unsure of each other's aspirations and purposes. Public norms enable people to act under conditions of increasing uncertainty. To fulfill this role in society, institutions need enhancement, maintenance, and innovation. Public Norms and Aspirations aims to improve the methodology of planning research and practice by exploring the co-evolution of institutional innovation and the philosophy of pragmatism in processes of action. As most attention in planning research and planning practices goes to the pragmatic approaches of aspirations and problem solving, the field is awaiting an upgrade of institutional perspectives. This book aims to explore the interaction of institutional and pragmatic thought and to suggest how these two approaches might be integrated and applied in successful planning research. Searching this combination at the interface of sociology, planning, and law, Salet opens a unique niche in the existing planning literature.

The Turn to Institutions in Action

Public Norms and Aspirations

Enrico Gualini

Presenting the findings of extensive research into the development of planning tools and strategies since the early 1970s, this book addresses key issues in urban development/governance and brings together a range of different national experiences. Helpfully divided into three sections, Framing Strategic Urban Projects sets out the study framework, with its social, policy and institutional contexts; uses up-to-date European case studies to highlight different planning issues, including new-urbanism, information networks and public partnerships; and finally makes good-practice recommendations. Offering a systematic comparison of a wide variety of projects and providing useful case study material of these large-scale urban projects and recommendations, this book is essential reading for planners, policy makers and students interested in how to make strategic urban projects work effectively.

Willem Salet

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