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Regional development agencies across Europe are in pursuite of sustainable economic development: an aspiration which is proving particularly difficult for economic development professionals to realize. The dilemma, however, is not new, as successive generations of policymakers and practitioners have found themselves wrestling with the fundamental challenge of how best to "facilitate" the developmental aspects of their respective regional economies. After some delay in comparison with mainland European, Scottish and Welsh experience, the English regions are finally in process of setting in place new regional development agencies (RDAs) of which much is expected. This book takes a practical look at the strategic, organizational and resource challenges faced by these new English RDAs at the beginning of 2000. This examination of the emerging agendas around the RDAs looks at one region - the West Midlands - in more detail, in order to illustrate some of the key issues which are being faced in relation to business change and transition. ... Read more

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Bringing together case studies from several European countries, this book provides an in-depth examination of the evolution of European spatial policy. Contributors focus on changes to the design and implementation of European policies at both national and local levels and examine institutional change, particularly Europeanization, European governance and EU enlargement. Rhetorical, discursive and representational dimensions are also interlinked to explore synergies and conflicts. The volume offers an experimentation of new interpretative approaches to spatial planning which will prove essential to the international debate. ... Read more

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This text deals with the changing economy of West Yorkshire as its industrial base diminishes. It examines the effects of local initiative, urban development, and environmental planning on the area, and looks to the future, with the implications of the Single European Market. ... Read more

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The dismantling of the apartheid regime in South Africa caused massive transformation in both geographical and economic terms, not only in this country but also in the region as a whole. As the post-apartheid government enters its second term, this captivating volume assesses its progress in unravelling the geography of apartheid, both in South Africa itself and in its relationships with other countries in Southern Africa and Africa. It also considers the ways in which South Africa, now that it is no longer a pariah state, has begun to position itself within the current global economy. Examining South Africa's land and agriculture, mining and minerals, manufacturing, tourism, corporate finance, the labour market and transport, the volume discusses the challenges of balancing growth and redistribution, the extent and nature of progress, change and relationships within the regional and global economy. A compelling investigation into the economics of South Africa's neighbouring states in relation to their natural resources, colonialism and inter-relationships with themselves and with South Africa leads to a focus on the region as a whole and its relations with the global economy. ... Read more

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The provision of infrastructure for urban developments is increasingly becoming a highly contentious and important issue in planning negotiations. By drawing together a range of case studies from North America and Europe, this book compares how a number of planning systems deal with this issue. There is a general trend by planning agencies towards the securing of infrastructure from the private sector. This necessitates a negotiation process between planning agencies, developers and infrastructure providers and this volume shows how this process varies according to attitudes towards property rights, the nature of the planning system and the existence of other frameworks such as Environmental Impact Assessment. By doing so, the collection presents an original perspective on both the negotiation process in planning and on how infrastructure should be provided. ... Read more

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Dialogues in Urban and Regional Planning Volume 4 is a selection of some of the best scholarship in urban and regional planning from around the world. The internationally recognized authors of these award-winning papers take up a range of salient issues from the theory and practice of planning.

The topics they address include planning and governance in Zimbabwe, rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, safety issues in urban spaces, and an analysis of French transportation policies. The breadth of the topics covered in this book will appeal to all those with an interest in urban and regional planning, providing a springboard for further debate and research. The papers focus particularly on how planning institutions can meet contemporary environmental, demographic, economic, and socio-spatial challenges.

The Dialogues books are published in association with the Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN) and its member planning schools associations. These associations represent 360 planning schools in nearly 50 countries around the globe. They have selected these papers based on regional competitions.

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This volume addresses the prominent role given to institution-building, institutional change and governance in the regional development strategies and policies. The establishment of the Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies, and the arrival of regional development agencies in England highlighted the need to put the initiatives into some context, drawing on experience from across Europe on the critical factors in the determination of the potential and success of regions. Central to the discussions presented here by a group of European experts are the question of governance - how does an ongoing process of institution-building affect the ways in which regions and localities are governed, including questions of democracy, participation, regional self-determination, public-private partnerships, networks and accountability; and the consequences of new modes of governance and institutional change for regional development strategies and policies, particularly in the context of large-scale industrial restructuring and city-region and urban regeneration. ... Read more

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Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Urban and Regional Planning," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Urban and Regional Planning in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Urban and Regional Planning when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Urban and Regional Planning, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

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As we move further into the 21st Century, the prominence of regions can no longer be taken for granted. A certain skepticism has developed with regard to the feasibility of marginal regions achieving self-sustained growth and states have maintained their role as regulators of economic and social activities. Thus, the notion of the region and its significance is currently much debated and contested. Illustrated with a wide range of European case studies, this volume brings together the main strands of these contestations, as economic, political and social actors attempt to institutionalise their vision of their region as the dominant form of territorial governance. It questions both the external delimitation and the internal constitution of regions and critically analyses the societal processes circumscribing ways in which regions are created, maintained and undermined. This volume provides a wide range of analytical perspectives to enable an understanding of the current mosaic of regionalism in Europe. ... Read more