World Planning Schools Congress

Urban planners are often viewed as weak voices of reason in a violent sea of power responsive to speculators, developers and business interests. Planners ’ influence seems tied to their ability to command information and to foster consensus among interested stakeholders. This is frequently problematic. Planners bargain at two tables. That is, they must negotiate with adversaries/external organizations while they also negotiate with factions within their own organizations to determine positions. Such two-table circumstances often result in unclear goals for planners, who are also constrained by statutes and other legal impediments to the exercise of public authority. In the UK, development control officers are the central figures facilitating both the intra-organizational table and the inter-organizational table. They lead the processes of developer-government negotiation over land development in a national legal context widely understood to be characterize