Red Globe Press Contemporary Planning Practice: Skills, Specialisms and Knowledge (Planning, Environment, Cities)

About the Author Professor Gavin Parker is Professor of Planning Studies and Director of Planning Programmes at the University of Reading. Dr Emma Street is Associate Professor in Planning and Urban Governance at the University of Reading. Product Description Planning today is an increasingly complex system of specialisms, and this brand new introduction is the first textbook to offer both a broad overview of each core area in planning, alongside the skills necessary to combine each specialism in order to make sustainable and efficient planning decisions. In so doing, it gives students a unique glimpse into the realities of working in planning today. Planners need knowledge that goes beyond the history of planning decisions in order to reconcile competing demands, from corporate speculative property developers to environmental activists. This new role – aggregating specialisms – is at the forefront of this innovative approach, equipping students with the tools necessary to do planning; which today means being both expert and generalist, specialist and synthesiser.Planners must now act as professional mediators of different (often conflicting or incompatible) interests. Planners are themselves working as specialists, whether that is in heritage, transport, ecology, economic assessment, or design. And this dual role reflects the organisation of this new text, introduced with a wealth of practitioner-informed chapters to enliven and inspire passion for the crucial role of planning. This text is an ideal companion for all practitioners and students of planning and related disciplines – at undergraduate and master’s level. Review Gavin Parker and Emma Street’s new book will provide an important reflection on the skills planners need in the 21st century. It promises to be of real value to students and reflective practitioners grappling with the challenges of integrating diverse knowledge and areas of specialism in the ever more fragmented landscapes of practice. – Andy Inch, University of Sheffield, UKThis book captures what it takes to be a 21st Century Planner. Considering the range of disciplines, specialisms and areas of interest the modern planner might have, this is a great resource for anyone forging their career in the profession. – Alex Nurse, University of Liverpool, UKContemporary Planning Practice is an accessible, well informed and much needed addition to our urban planning course reading lists. It is comprehensive in its coverage that links together both theory and practice with a valuable focus on both hard and soft planning skills. An essential read for all planning students. – Mike Beazley, University of Birmingham, UKParker and Street draw the different contributions together through emphasising the core skills of integration and synthesis which lie at the centre of planning work, skills which are both intellectual and practical. The result is a book which provides an authoritative and carefully critical introduction to British planning practice. – Patsy Healey, University of Newcastle, UKContemporary Planning Practice offers a thoughtful and distinctive take on the nature of planning practice, providing an invaluable introductory text for aspiring planners. Gavin Parker and Emma Street have given planning educators and students what they’ve long been missing: a compact introduction to the activities of planning, encompassing core skills alongside the diverse specialist knowledge that make up the modern planning field. The emphasis on practice in this exciting new text marks it out from other introductory planning books, giving readers real insights into what planners do, and to the skills and ethics that are distinctive to planning as a profession. – Richard Cowell, Cardiff University, UKThis excellent collection of essays provides a much-needed contemporary insight into the delivery of sustainable and equitable built environments through good planning practice. A flexible blend of general