Freedom of Self-Determination in Planning: The Case of Travellers & Gypsies of England

The main question of the thesis was to understand the extent to which the English planning system facilitated freedom of self-determination. The inquiry focused on the Irish Traveller and English Gypsy (T&G) groups because of their current state of freedoms in planning compared with larger society. The thesis measures capacity for self-determination through the extent that critical characteristics related to lifestyle choices are allowed equally across all groups and explored at various scales ranging from the intimate to the European. The T&G have been focused on in literature and practical reflection from a range of disciplines bringing forward key aspects of their marginalization and perspectives on barriers and effects of their limited freedoms. This research utilizes a cross disciplinary approach including: ethnographic, legal, economic, neurological, planning and urban design to generate a complex picture of the tensions and pressures within and outside these communities. This perspective established a starting point for addressing equality in planning. Initial pilot studies served to tie together background studies and inform a methodology for research and analysis. These generated an approach to case studies field research in situations that ranged from evictions to long term residents without tenure to relocation due to the London Olympic Games. The research delivered a new understanding on the contemporary condition of T&G in England and their continued capacity to adapt to changing contexts in order to maintain the crucial qualities to being a Traveller and Gypsy. That is, their capacity to make culturally relevant decisions critical to perpetuating membership within their respective communities defines them in their various cultural contexts. This methodology is transferrable to the study of other minority groups in their particular situation of loss of freedoms. The approach is also informed by practical reflection to balance literature and field work across applicable fields through the research stages. Finally the research outcomes contributed to developing an operational methodology that was used to derive a local product of engagement. In this third stage of field work testing the operational methodology proved beneficial to overcoming land use conflict and facilitating access to these freedoms