This book looks at the transition from New Labour's 'Spatial Planning' approach to the Coalition Government's preferred 'Localism' approach. Localism we are told will liberate local planners from the heavy hand of central government and allow planning to flourish at the local level. Alternatively, austerity cuts nationally mean planning faces cuts. In just two years the machinery of regional planning has been dismantled and local authorities are being asked to do more with less. Innovation is also evident, however, notably with the introduction of neighbourhood planning and Local Enterprise Partnerships. This collection contain chapters looking at the planning system overall, sustainability and planning, new approaches to infrastructure planning, and the critical interface between urban policy, local economic development and planning.

1. Introduction: Spatial Planning and the New Localism 2. The Evolution and Trajectories of English Spatial Governance: 'Neoliberal' Episodes in Planning 3. The Greenest Government Ever? Planning and Sustainability in England after the May 2010 Elections 4. The New Contractualism, the Privatization of the Welfare State, and the Barriers to Open Source Planning 5. Towards Post-political Consensus in Urban Policy? Localism and the Emerging Agenda for Regeneration Under the Cameron Government 6. The Delusion of Strategic Spatial Planning: What's Left After the Labour Government's English Regional Experiment? 7. Rescaling of Planning and Its Interface with Economic Development 8. The Remodeling of Decision Making on Major Infrastructure in Britain 9. Neo-liberalization Processes and Spatial Planning in France, Germany, and the Netherlands: An Exploration 10. Afterword: Localism, Austerity and Planning