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This thesis is about the public interest and how it is articulated in English plan-making practices. It is about recognising that the public interest can be conceptualised in multiple ways and exploring which of these conceptions are apparent in planning practices. The literature tells the story of a concept that is simultaneously a crucial justification for planning activities, and an empty signifier, following its disputed conceptual coherence and historic use. The thesis therefore develops an understanding of the different ways in which it has been conceptualised. The resulting conceptual framework draws together process and outcome focussed conceptions of the public interest and suggests that the use of scale, in terms of both time and geography, might help in differentiating their use. To understand how these different conceptions are influencing contemporary planning practices, qualitative methods are used to explore two cases that differ from the English tradition of making plans for a single local authority. The first is Central Lincolnshire, formed by merging the plan-making functions of three local authorities. The second case is the Peak District National Park, whose designation similarly gives the authority the power to plan for large parts of other local authorities within its boundary. However the cases contrast in their history; the Peak District was nationally designated, nearly seventy years ago, whilst Central Lincolnshire is a far more recent, locally driven construction. The cases suggest how national policy reduces the space for local deliberation about what is in the public interest, with a tendency for each case to be dominated by particular intended outcomes. However this story is told differently for each case, by virtue of the different scales at which each authority aims to have an impact. In turn this has significant implications for how planning theory and practice might account for the public interest.

Social mix was a common feature of many New Labour neighbourhood-based policies. Within this vision young people are socially constructed as catalysts for social mixing. It was imagined that both their presence and use of local amenities would ensure interaction across pre-existing social divides. Using an innovative mixed methods approach, the research investigated whether young people in a mixed tenure neighbourhood fulfilled this vision. The thesis argues that a number of limitations exist to this vision for young people in the social mix agenda. Young people’s access to amenities such as public space and schools, key sites in this vision, are limited and controlled thereby reducing opportunities for social mixing. Furthermore, processes operating beyond the mixed tenure neighbourhood work to undermine social mix aspirations. Most notably, young people, especially those perceived to be from disadvantaged backgrounds, are socially constructed as ‘other’ and to be avoided, in direct conflict to social mix constructions. Rather than pre-existing social divides being abolished, the thesis proposes that those with the most power ensure that such divides are maintained and even strengthened.

Environmental concerns are high on the political agenda in the current circumstances of climate change and uncertainty. Given the complex nature of environmental concerns, incorporating many different stakeholders and fields of expertise, it can be difficult to see how any agreement can be reached on ways forward, and especially what might be the ‘right’ approach to governance. This thesis uses interpretive policy analysis to investigate the way in which flood alleviation policy is implemented at local scales, examining the decision-making processes that lead to change. The empirical study examines two case studies of flood alleviation sites in South Yorkshire subject to policy processes concerning flood risk following the dramatic weather patterns of recent years, and leading to structural changes to the sites. By focussing on the themes that emerged from the data and the stories that were important to stakeholders a new perspective on the governance process emerges. The way in which we conceptualise power and knowledge/expertise is examined, and the role of place attachment and relationship to place is positioned alongside traditional interpretation, to offer a more rounded perspective which accounts for the intricacies and individuality of the policy making processes which affect different places. The thesis has developed a new approach to the understanding of environmental governance, which brings together interpretive policy analysis with relationship to place, incorporating understandings of emotions and collective memory to broaden the understanding of the way stakeholders impact on the changes to environmental sites. Through this suggestions are made about the way in which policy processes can be changed to offer more equality and justice within governance processes.

South Africa’s RDP housing programme has delivered ownership of a house and serviced land to millions of first time home-owners since 1994. Intended to both provide shelter and address poverty, the housing programme is typical of improvement initiatives of the modern state aimed at advancing the physical, economic or social situation of a target population. Yet little is known about the results of the South African housing programme for recipient households, except that some beneficiaries attract state censure for interacting with their houses in unexpected and unwelcome ways. Despite the lack of clarity on its effects, the large-scale costly housing programme continues to be implemented. This study investigates the programme’s outcomes in Johannesburg through the perspectives of both RDP beneficiaries and state housing practitioners. Findings transcend the denigration of RDP housing as ‘poorly located’, revealing people’s complex interactions with their housing which show its flaws and limitations but also their attachment to it. To minimise the shortcomings of the housing benefit RDP settlements are appropriated, adapted and transformed, households composition may be re-configured and alternative accommodation off-site brought into play. In general the state has limited insight into this intricacy, little institutional appetite to explore it and holds contradictory positions on the outcomes of the programme. Despite the evident resources and power of the state, it is confounded by the complexity of people’s practices. More broadly, the study contributes to housing and planning literature through its focus on the interface between state and beneficiary practices. Peoples’ responses to RDP housing emphasise both the state’s limited capacity in addressing the housing need, but also the catalytic value and potential its intervention triggers. Rather than portraying the state and the subaltern as clashing over conflicting rationalities, it illuminates their overlapping aspirations and mutual shaping of space.

The thesis extends the research of the SCATTER project which evaluates the understanding of urban sprawl in Europe and examines methods for quantifying sprawl. The thesis extends this by examining the extent to which the definition and identification of sprawl is influenced by the nature of the indicators and measures used, and on the scale at which they are applied. It assesses the suitability of measures used in the US context for the polycentric pattern of European cities. Measures used in the European context have been based on land use densities - this is extended to incorporate measures based on urban form and land use patterns. The findings highlight the difficulties inherent in defining and measuring sprawl, as sprawl is a complex phenomenon with experts in the regions often unable to agree on the patterns and consequences of this type of urban growth. It is not so much a specific land use pattern or set of patterns as a manifestation of concerns which are common features of modern urban growth - regardless of urban form - and which emerge from the emphasis of interpretation and the dimensions of interest to local administrators and land use authorities. The research has identified that measures are sensitive to the spatial area used - even areas with some similarities, such as county and travel to work areas or district and urban areas do not produce consistent results. In Europe therefore measuring sprawl is also complicated by the fact that self contained subcentres set in low density rural areas may contribute to sprawl in the city centre, yet this is not identified by traditional measures of sprawl which assume that areas related to the urban centre are contiguous.

Privately built satellite cities are becoming an increasingly common form of urban development in peri-urban areas of Southeast Asian cities. However, while they are beginning to receive academic attention, the majority of studies focus on design and planning issues and have a limited capacity to fully explain how satellite cities are produced. In this thesis, I investigate the production of satellite cities in Phnom Penh drawing upon recent theoretical advances that critically consider the relational and territorial geographies of urban development. The satellite cities in Phnom Penh are driven by the mobility of urban development capital, concepts and expertise that are predominately intra-Asian in scope. In examining these intra-Asian connections I avoid casting satellite cities as universal, Western urban forms and contribute to debates that problematise the Western-centrism of urban knowledge production. In the late 1990s, Cambodia emerged from several decades of conflict and communism to become more integrated into the regional and global economy. This political and economic transition led to rapid changes in the urban landscape, including the construction of satellite cities. Drawing upon interviews with key informants, I suggest that satellite cities are not simply a result of the government’s incapacity to provide infrastructure and plan for urbanisation, but the state also has an essential role in allowing land acquisitions and encouraging inflows of foreign investment. I examine in detail two satellite cities, one developed by a South Korean and other by an Indonesian company, and suggest that the South Korean company’s activities are underlined by the close relationship between their home country and Cambodia, as well as the supportive role of the South Korean developmental state. In contrast, the Indonesian company pioneered the ‘satellite city’ concept in Indonesia and is now exporting the concept to other Asian countries. A critical examination of the intra-Asian geographies of satellite city production opens up the possibility of viewing Southeast Asian cities on their own terms without relying solely on Western theory.

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The central aim of this research is to evaluate the justness of the Cheong-gye-choen Restoration Project (CRP) and the Dongnam Distribution Complex Project (DDCP) with a primary focus on issues for merchants affected by the projects, and to use this as a lens to explore the possibilities of establishing a more just planning process in Korean society. Two main research question that try to answer throughout this thesis are: How can we evaluate the processes and the outcomes of the CRP and the DDCP from a justice perspective?; In the light of the theoretical review and empirical case study, if planning should pursue the public interest (or the common good) and often unavoidably harm minority interests, how can planning be more just in relation to the interests of the latter? Cheong-gye-cheon (CGC) is a 5.8km length river running through Seoul city centre, which was covered up in the 1960s and 70s. Restoration of this historical river was acknowledged as being a public good for the general population. However, this restoration project would impact on one of the largest conventional markets in Korea and the restoration meant significant losses for many merchants without compensation. Severe conflicts occurred, and as a result of negotiations, it was agreed that a relocated market on a new site would be provided for the merchants with special privileges as de facto compensation. This was why the DDCP began. Yet, despite the ostensibly ‘democratic’ processes of both projects, the outcome of the DDCP turned out to be a failure. A large number of merchants could not or did not move into the new relocated market when it was completed, and most CGC merchants experienced significant losses. The failure of the DDCP also left considerable debts for the tax payers. These two projects are still highly controversial, especially in terms of the justness of their processes and outcomes, and thus requires further investigations. In order to do so, review of theories of justice and justice in planning presented, with the work of Michael Sandel and Heather Campbell being particularly influential. Throughout the review, it is argued that justice is inescapably judgemental and can only be reasoned through a politics of the common good. Yet, due to the dark sides of the concepts of community and common good, this thesis proposes that both concepts are need further conceptualisation and judgements should be guided by universal values. Influenced by Campbell, this thesis argues that justice in planning is about situated ethical judgement through a politics of the common good guided by universal values. Subsequently, the applicability of the concept of justice in planning in planning practices is explored. Based on this conceptual framework of justice in planning, the processes and outcomes of the two consecutive projects are scrutinised, focusing specifically on why affected merchants did not or could not move into the new relocated market in the end. The investigation shows that although the processes of both projects appeared on one level to be seemingly democratic, they were not in reality. As a result, there were misrecognitions about merchants’ economic circumstances and forms of exclusion, misinformation, and poor or non-decision decision makings. It is also shown that even though the agreements made between parties during the projects were perceived as being satisfactory at the time they were made, the fundamental reasons for the failure of the DDCP actually stemmed from these agreements; influenced by the institutional and political contexts of Korea. By examining situations and judgements in the processes of the projects, possibilities for better and more just planning practices are explored.

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