Moving on - from spatial planning to localism and beyond

envisaged by some as a form of meta-spatial governance or, in more prosaic terms, concerned with 'place-making'.Hubris, that sense of hauteur related to losing touch with reality and the overestimation of abilities, was never far from the fore.While spatial planning echoed many of the concerns of New Labour, it was conceived, packaged and sold as a solution to government concerns around planning and the ability of planners to deliver and modernise.The hubris was that spatial planning could square the circle, delivering consensus-based, high-quality, place-sensitive sustainable development.That few initially questioned this promise -ourselves included -could be interpreted charitably as collective self-delusion, 'groupthink', or 'communal reinforcement'.Whatever the interpretation, a dominant belief formed around spatial planning that positioned its holders as the defenders of what was 'right' -a position that eschews alternative understanding and derides attempts to critically engage with it.Nemesis is rarely far away from such hubristic ambition.In retrospect, spatial planning was replete with overambitious statements and was not subject to sufficient critical engagement or challenge.This is, perhaps, not surprising, as a powerful Most analyses of the Localism Bill have naturally compared likely futures with the immediate past and come to rather gloomy conclusions.While perhaps inevitable, such comparisons are selective and harmful.Comparing localism to the immediate past is a bit like trying to drive by using only the rear-view mirror.However, there is also a level of mythology at work that is elevating the past to some sort of halcyon era.If planning and planners are to understand and be part of change -be it to localism or any other system -there is a need for an honest appraisal of why such change has come about.In the current situation, the origin of change can be found in two words: spatial planning.Spatial planning became the dominant planning doctrine during the New Labour years.Presented as a progressive, proactive approach and contrasted with the more reactive land use planning, the spatial oeuvre promised inclusive processes and 'win-winwin' outcomes around sustainable development, economic growth and social justice.In England, spatial planning was strongly linked with the 2004 reforms to development planning, including the reintroduction of a regional tier of planning and the reorientation and expansion of national planning policy.Through multi-scalar and sectoral coordination and integration, 'spatial planning' was

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