Planning with Purpose: A Values-Based Approach to Planning Reform

An Oram Fellowship project looking into the governance of Urban Planning and Policy in Greater London and the Wider South East

This research investigates the planning system, using a values-based approach, to explore the tensions surrounding its reform. The project aims to propose progressive policy advice through a reconceptualisation of planning as an arena for managing a multiplicity of values.

There are very few public spaces now where politics go on, and this [planning] is one of them... It goes with the territory. It cannot be passed over. And quite the opposite. We need to actually go with it.
Community Group Representative

Labour came to power in 2024 placing economic growth at the top of its mission-driven agenda for the next five years. Specifically, the Government is focused on accelerating housing and infrastructure delivery, with planning highlighted as both the lever for transformative change and the main obstacle to progress.

Planning is integral to realising the growth agenda. It is essential for creating economic, social and natural capital in the UK. Its multisectoral nature presents a real opportunity to tackle the complex problems our society is currently facing. However, it is no secret that the current planning system does not deliver the quality and scale of outputs necessary to meet society’s needs. Moreover, distrust in planning processes and procedures also inhibits quality development from the get-go.

However, the complexity of planning stems not only from its bureaucratic procedures but from the competing values circulating within the system. They continuously tug at what planning should deliver and how – causing delay and lessening planning’s ability to address long-term problems. We suggest that holistic reform must address the values that influence planning culture and governance.

Understanding what matters to key actors and getting them on board is therefore crucial for successful reform. Our Values-Based Approach to planning embraces the complex and ambiguous nature of value circuits. We do not shy away from the politics of planning but seek to deliver meaningful recommendations for reform by untangling the multiple competing values that circulate within the system. As our research revealed:

"There are very few public spaces now where politics go on, and this [planning] is one of them... It goes with the territory. It cannot be passed over. And quite the opposite. We need to actually go with it." - Community Group Representative

In our report, we zoom in on three central aspects of the planning lifecycle - Community Participation, Land Use and Housing Delivery – asking two important, yet simple questions: What do we want from a new generation of planning? And how do we get there?

Image credit: Photo by Fas Khan on Unsplash

Oram Fellowship Workshop 1, 12 June 2024

There’s a general agreement that we must build more homes and unlock more land for development. Some suggest looking at neglected parts of the Green Belt that aren’t environmentally significant. But what do millennials think about building on the Green Belt? Do they think that there are better solutions? Who do they think should be responsible for that massive scale of housing delivery?

A research team of Oram fellows explored these questions at a research workshop held on 12 June with 26 early- to mid-career professionals in planning, policy, urbanism, surveying, and architecture as members of two juries. After hearing from expert speakers, these professionals shared their values and visions for solving the housing crisis.

The workshop demonstrated that the energy, passion, and mental capacity for working on a housing crisis resolution are there. Find more insights from the workshop on the LSE Progressing Planning Blogand later as part of the Oram Fellowship report.

Oram Fellowship Workshop 2, 5 September 2024

Land is a precious but finite resource. The increasing competing demands for housing, infrastructure, biodiversity, access and well-being, as well as financing, oblige us to reconsider how we manage land. Balancing these trade-offs is key to unlocking economic, natural and social capital in England.

Labour’s planning agenda raises questions about how we get the best "value" from land: between the grey belt/green belt debate, establishing a new towns task force, plans to use development to fund nature recovery, and various calls for a land-use framework, there is much to unpack. Indeed, large-scale land-use change is likely given the diverse needs of a growing population and the major challenges we are currently facing, raising essential questions about distributive justice.

Landowners are a key part of the land-use puzzle. The LSE landowners’ roundtable, hosted on 5 September aimed to determine how we might best facilitate landowners’ participation in value creation. It was an open conversation amongst a diverse range of public, private and third sector landowners and landowning organisations as well as 6 expert speakers. A summary of the event is available here. These findings will contribute to our upcoming policy report due to launch in January 2025.

Oram Fellowship Workshop 3, 18 October 2024

The future of community participation in planning is being decided now. We see a transition in democratic engagement in planning in the National Planning Policy Framework consultation and the proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The focus is shifting to "how, not if homes and infrastructure are built" emphasising strategic plan-making.

The dynamics of community participation in the planning process—whether in development management or strategic plan-making—will have ripple effects across the field, significantly impacting who engages, the degree to which they engage, and the quality of the resulting spaces. The management of this transition will also affect the legitimacy and trust in the planning system and governance.

This insightful workshop that brought together community groups, local councils and developers as well as 6 expert speakers to discuss the evolving landscape of democratic engagement in urban planning. The conversation explored where and how communities participate in planning and how they will engage moving forward. More insights from the workshop will be shared shortly on our blog and will contribute to our upcoming policy report due to launch in January 2025.