The aim of this book is to give both the professional planner and the student a feel for the current arguments alive in planning policy circles and to introduce relevant contemporary research. This book has developed out of a series of seminars run at the Institute of Planning Studies at Nottingham University as part of its Continuing Professional Development Programme. Each of the seminars brought together a variety of speakers who were involved with the topic under discussion from a different aspect - some with academic research experience and others with practical policy implementation.
Most of the contributors presented papers at a series of seminars, but some have been rewritten, others substantially revised and several have been commissioned especially for this book. Five current policy issues are examined: Urban congestion and pollution - is road pricing the answer ; Traffic calming in theory and practice; Single tier local government; Urban regeneration; and Greening planning. For each topic contributors were chosen who could approach the problem from a different point of view, the aim being to explore each topic with direct statements and straightforward arguments leading therefore to a more stimulating breadth of this view rather than a bland overview.
