Urban sustainability: discourses, networks and policy tools

There is widespread interest in policy circles and among academic researchers in the concept of urban sustainability. It is recognized that sustainable development has a strong local dimension and that this implies an urban focus. The research project reported here examined sustainability by considering urban traffic management; the planning of the location of retail facilities; and the management of green spaces in urban areas. The urban focus was explored through four case studies: of Bologna, Edinburgh, Florence and Leicester. The nature of the urban level policy process was considered and the relationship of environmental concerns to other items on the local policy agenda was investigated. The research took a multi-faceted approach to studying the policy process, considering the role of key actors in decision making, the importance of networks between actors and organizations and the ways that discourses of policy making interacted. The approach sought to give a balance in analysis to the actor, the institution and the role of communication in the policy process. This latter feature suggested analyses of the overlapping, complementary and competing discourses of policy. The implications of the research approach and findings for contemporary planning theory are explored.