Key issues for planning futures and the way forward

This commentary consists of an introduction and two papers (think pieces). The papers were originally written for the Department of Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) Planning Research Network as inputs into the thought process for the preparation of the 2007 Planning White Paper. The authors were invited to produce short, forward-looking papers that highlight how the key aspects of our environment are likely to change in the future and what might be their implications for planning policy and the way we manage urban growth. The focus was on the following questions: What are the three key issues that planning policy will need to consider in the next twenty plus years? What spatial planning solutions to these issues should be considered? Are there any tensions or trade-offs between the solutions for different issues? What other types of policies will be key to delivering on these issues? The papers are presented below in an attempt to make them available to the wider community of social scientists and to stimulate further discussions