The Fluid Scales and Scope of UK Spatial Planning

Abstract

In this paper we argue that the emerging new systems for subnational plans and spatial strategies represent a highly contested policy terrain over which battles are being played out about what constitute the appropriate scale, scope, and process of strategic planmaking activities. Significantly, these debates are being played out in different ways in different parts of the post devolutionary UK state. The approach adopted here engages with and develops existing work on state restructuring and sociopolitical rescaling. In doing so we bring struggles over spatial planning to the centre of the analysis, addressing calls for increasing integration across different sectoral policy domains.