Virtual Special Issue Planning Theory & Practice

Planning Theory & Practice

This is a time of great flux and unease in urban policy, society, and politics. Established international hegemonies appear to be shifting. The spectre of terrorism looms. Wealth and politics are polarising across rural-urban divides. Extreme weather ravages cities with increasing frequency. Rapidly emerging technologies offer great promise, but threaten to fundamentally rework urban labour relations and the very fabric of cities.

It seems fitting, therefore, that the themes of resilience, adapting to and taking advantage of change, and hopefulness, take centre stage at two of this year’s major European planning conferences:

  • The Association of European Schools of Spatial Planning conference in Gothenburg, has adopted the theme of ‘Making Space for Hope’.
  • The UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference, in Sheffield, has adopted the strap-line ‘Alternative Futures for Planning’.

In the run up to these events, this virtual special issue brings together a collection of previously published papers which explore these pressing themes.

The below papers are free to access until the end of September 2018: