Climate change and the role of spatial planning in England

Abstract

The evidence gathered from academic literature and policy sources leave little doubt that the planning system has a major part to play in climate change policy agenda. However, the extent to which spatial planning in England has leverage in tackling climate change depends largely on how broadly it is defined and what level and types of interventions, tools and resources are available to it. Adopting a broader definition of spatial planning, its place-shaping role can be practised in three interrelated ways: proactive interventions in the way places are developed; regulatory interventions in how others undertake their own activities; and strategic coordination, which enables participation and policy integration. Over the past decade, national policy expectations from planning to respond to climate change have grown considerably, and the role of planning has been elevated from promoting climate protection to ensuring policy delivery. However, less attention has been paid to how its role can be framed. The bewildering array of tasks allocated to planning in both policy documents and academic literature can take away the urgency of the response and the need to focus on critical climate policies in which planning can be most effective. Hence, by classifying climate policies into the three key areas of energy supply, energy demand and adaptation, this chapter aims to identify policy areas that are most relevant to planning intervention for each category. Based on this approach, the chapter provides a conceptual framework by mapping the three policy areas against the three types of planning interventions mentioned above.