Spatial planning

Definition

An early definition of spatial planning comes from the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter (often called the 'Torremolinos Charter'), adopted in 1983 by the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT): "Regional/spatial planning gives geographical expression to the economic, social, cultural and ecological policies of society. It is at the same time a scientific discipline, an administrative technique and a policy developed as an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach directed towards a balanced regional development and the physical organization of space according to an overall strategy."

Rationale

Spatial planning is necessary due to the competing demands on space—from the economy, social needs (e.g. housing), and environmental protection.

Spatial planning is especially important in developing countries which often face rapid urbanisation and industralisation, which places pressure on existing urban infrastructure.

By country

China

Main article: Territorial Spatial Planning

Spatial planning in mainland China is known as territorial spatial planning.

European Union

Various compendia of spatial planning systems can be found. Below is a table showing some of the main sources, the countries covered and the date of publication.

European-wide spatial planning

In 1999, a document called the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) was signed by the ministers responsible for regional planning in the EU member states. Although the ESDP has no binding status, and the European Union has no formal authority for spatial planning, the ESDP has influenced spatial planning policy in European regions and member states, and placed the coordination of EU sectoral policies on the political agenda.

At the European level, the term territorial cohesion is becoming more widely used and is for example mentioned in the draft EU Treaty (Constitution) as a shared competency of the European Union; it is also included in the Treaty of Lisbon. The term was defined in a "scoping document" in Rotterdam in late 2004 and is being elaborated further using empirical data from the ESPON programme in a document entitled "The Territorial State and Perspectives of the European Union". At the minister's conference in May 2007 in Leipzig, a political document called the "Territorial Agenda" was signed to continue the process begun in Rotterdam, revised in May 2011 in Gödöllő.

United Kingdom

Spatial planning in the UK is known as town and country planning.

References

• Andreas Faludi, Bas Waterhout, The Making of the European Spatial Development Perspective, London Routledge 2002. .
• Gerhard Larsson, Spatial Planning Systems in Western Europe - An Overview, Delft Univ Press (2006), .
• Gerhard Larsson, Land management as Public Policy, University Press of America (2010), .
• UNECE, Spatial Planning - Key Instrument for Development and Effective Governance with Special Reference to Countries in Transition, Report ECE/HBP/146, Geneva UNECE 2008.
• Richard H. Williams, European union spatial policy and planning, London Chapman 1996. .

References

1. Getimis, Panagiotis. (February 2012). "Comparing Spatial Planning Systems and Planning Cultures in Europe. The Need for a Multi-scalar Approach". Planning Practice and Research.
2. Ziafati Bafarasat, A., 2015. Reflections on the three schools of thought on strategic spatial planning. Journal of Planning Literature, 30(2), pp.132-148.
3. Van Assche, K., Beunen, R., Duineveld, M., & de Jong, H. (2013). Co-evolutions of planning and design: Risks and benefits of design perspectives in planning systems. Planning Theory, 12(2), 177-198.
4. Allmendinger, P. (2009). Planning theory. Palgrave Macmillan.
5. Van Assche, K., & Verschraegen, G. (2008). The limits of planning: Niklas Luhmann's systems theory and the analysis of planning and planning ambitions. Planning theory, 7(3), 263-283.
6. Gunder, M., & Hillier, J. (2009). Planning in ten words or less: A Lacanian entanglement with spatial planning. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
7. Caves, R. W.. (2004). "Encyclopedia of the City". Routledge.
8. "Council of Europe". Council of Europe.
9. Economic Commission for Europe. (2008). "SPATIAL PLANNING Key Instrument for Development and Effective Governance with Special Reference to Countries in Transition". United Nations.
10. Economic Commission for Europe. (2008). "SPATIAL PLANNING Key Instrument for Development and Effective Governance with Special Reference to Countries in Transition". United Nations.
11. "espon.eu". espon.eu.
12. "Microsoft Word - TSP-First-Draft-as-of-260606.doc".