Ben Clifford
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 357770 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Ben Clifford |
| NOMBRES | Ben |
| APELLIDO | Clifford |
| FIRMA | BEN CLIFFORD |
| AFILIACIONES | University College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5399-4956 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 26 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 39 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 28 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1930 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2025 |
| ÍNDICE H | 4 |
English Devolution White Paper 2024
This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Examining the consultocratisation of urban planning in the UK
Using our extensive focus group, FoI and biographical interview data, and RTPI survey data, we investigate how UK planning systems have become increasingly consultocratised. Drawing on the ‘entangled state’ and ‘enculturated state’ ideas from consultocracy literature, we reflect on the diversity of consultancies and explore how UK planning systems have been organised around increasingly financialised arrangements. In particular, we highlight the …
On the need for caution in using ‘big data’ for built environment research
The study of the built environment is evolving with digital advancements and the emergence of a big data era, opening up new possibilities for planning practice and research. However, the integration of digital tools in research and practice calls for consideration of methodological questions. In this article, we compare two studies. One is our own ‘small data’ case study research and the other is a ‘big data’ approach recently published in this …
Nationally significant? Major infrastructure projects, central-local relations and municipal statecraft and scalecraft in England
In England, since 2008, some categories of infrastructure project have been defined as ‘nationally significant’ and consented through a central state-led system rather than through the traditional local state town and country planning process. When introduced, there was little focus on the role of the local state in this new Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime which, if discussed at all, was often described as diminished. Drawing…
Planning, adaptive reuse, housing quality and health in a post-pandemic England
This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0
Disparate goals, progressive ideals? Professional biographies of planners in the UK and their ideas of ‘mission’
In this paper, we utilise data from biographical interviews to examine the values held by UK planners and whether and how they promote progressive planning ideals in their everyday work, often despite countertendencies in planning systems and organisational priorities. Our research concurs with the idea of a mildly progressive, yet conservative, positioning: in Hillier's (2002) terms, some planners are 'on a mission' but these missions vary from …
Health and wellbeing impacts of housing converted from non-residential buildings
Housing quality is a determinant of health, wellbeing and inequities. Since 2013, changes to Permitted Development Rights (PDR) allow conversions of non-residential buildings into housing without planning permission in England. We explored the potential health and wellbeing impacts of such ‘PDR housing’ through an online survey and semi-structured interviews in four London boroughs. We found an association between low wellbeing and lack of reside…
The conversion of buildings to housing use
Faced with acute housing crises, some governments are inclined to strip away the ‘bureaucracy’ of planning, relaxing rules on the scrutiny of planning applications and seeking to accelerate the building of new homes. The planning that remains becomes a ‘client service’ for the development industry – a system of housing licensing that follows on from a basic consideration of legal compliance. Such a system has been introduced in England, rooted in…
Local authorities doing it for themselves
Since 2010, local authorities in England have faced a dramatic cut in funding from central government, associated with a neoliberal super-austerity seen in many countries. At the same time, these authorities have also been increasingly concerned about the problems associated with private sector delivery of housing and the consequences of their increasing responsibilities for dealing with homelessness. The result has been a resurgence of local aut…
Hard, soft and thin governance spaces in land-use change
In recent years, converting office buildings to residential use became a high-profile issue in the UK and in the Netherlands. There has, however, been differentiation in the policy response between England and Scotland (planning policy being devolved within the UK), and the Netherlands. We conceptualize this differentiation through the lens of variegated neoliberalism in the forms of hard, soft and thin governance spaces. England, where planning …
British local authority planners, planning reform and everyday practices within the state
Reform of the planning system, and the local authority context in which it operates, has been high on the political agenda for all governments in the United Kingdom in the 21st century, reflecting common broader international trends under New Public Management and neoliberalism. Whilst such reforms have been subject to a great deal of academic attention, much of this work has focused on central government perspectives and understands these reform…
Planning, regulation and space standards in England
The regulation of housing quality has a long history in England. As the state itself increasingly became a housing developer in the twentieth century, design standards were subject to self-regulation. Through this, the idea that housing quality includes minimum dwelling sizes – space standards – has entered public consciousness. The 2010–2015 coalition government introduced suggested space standards through planning control, but also extended the…
Housing quality, permitted development and the role of regulation after Covid-19
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought the issue of housing quality into sharp relief. For \nmany people, home before the pandemic was a place to return to after work, school or a holiday: \none of a number of spaces in which life is played out. But COVID-19 has focused daily existence on \nthe home. It has suddenly become more intensely multi-functional: a workspace, a classroom and a \nleisure space all bundled into one (it was always these …
Emerging problematics of deregulating the urban
Urban planning systems, processes and regulations are often blamed – by many mainstream economists – for constraining the supply of housing by interfering with the efficient allocation of land by the market and unnecessarily delaying development. In England, this orthodox view has influenced the government’s deregulatory planning reforms, including – since 2013 – the removal of the requirement for developers to apply for planning permission for t…
Who else would we speak to?’ National Policy Networks in post-devolution Britain
The implementation of the devolution process that started in 1999 was frequently assumed by contemporary commentators and scholars to lead to a fractured relationship with the national centre and a fragmented state as a consequence. However, discourse analysis and policy reviews in relation to spatial planning policies demonstrates that agendas and legislation implemented by central and devolved governments since devolution are characterised by m…
The 2012 Olympic Learning Legacy Agenda – the intentionalities of mobility for a new London model
This paper investigates the emergence of a Learning Legacy Agenda (LLA) in the wake of the London 2012 Olympic Games as a governmental tool for the dissemination of urban development and infrastructure project delivery best practice. Focusing on the inception, coordination and implementation of the LLA we outline the intentionalities of mobility that underpin its formation and appropriation and suggest how this points to the emergence of a new “L…
‘Clock-watching and box-ticking’
The speed of the statutory planning system has concerned UK Governments for decades. The Labour Government of 1997–2010 placed particular emphasis on increasing the efficiency of public services through performance targets. Whilst the subsequent Coalition Government of 2010–2015 removed many targets, those measuring the speed of planning application processing were kept. These performance targets have important potential implications in terms of …
Afterword
The referendum held in Scotland on 18 September 2014 resulted in a rejection of the option of becoming an independent nation-state. The perceived closeness of the vote, however, led to a rush of promises for further devolution from UK politicians. This crisis seems to have resulted in a period of constitutional flux throughout the United Kingdom, with demands for further powers for Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as a broad debate on the stat…
Introduction to devolution and the geographies of policy
In this introductory essay, we outline how recent events have generated considerable debate and discussion surrounding the future constitutional status of Scotland and the current devolutionary settlement in the UK, and how the aim of this collection of papers is to evaluate UK devolution and the policy mobilities surrounding it. We argue that there has been a tendency for scholars to concentrate on the detail of the constitutional and administra…
A policy on the move? Spatial planning and State Actors in the post-devolutionary UK and Ireland
Devolution has led to a dramatic restructuring of the UK state over the last 15 years. Planning is a devolved function and a concerted process of 'planning reform' has been implemented by devolved (and central) government since devolution, including a move from 'land-use' to 'spatial planning'. Despite some expectations of, and pressure for, policy divergence post devolution, we draw on findings of discourse analysis to demonstrate how there are …
Policy Convergence, Divergence and Communities
The implementation of devolution (1999) in the UK was assumed to lead to fractured relationships with the national centre and a fragmented state as a consequence. However, discourse analysis and policy reviews in spatial planning demonstrate that policies and legislation implemented by central and devolved governments since devolution demonstrate marked similarities in intention and type (albeit with some differences in name and delivery route). …
The Collaborating Planner?
Aims to understand how both specific planning and broader public sector reforms have been experienced and understood by chartered town planners working in local authorities across Great Britain.
The Collaborating Planner?
Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a greater pace of reform to planning in Britain than at any other time. As a public sector activity, planning has also been impacted heavily by the wider changes in the way we are governed. Yet whilst such reform has been extensively commented upon within academia, few have empirically explored how these changes are manifesting themselves in planning practice. This new book aims to understand how…
The collaborating planner?
Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a greater pace of reform to planning in Britain than at any other time. As a public sector activity, planning has also been impacted heavily by the wider changes in governance. Yet whilst such reform has been extensively commented upon within academia, few have empirically explored how these changes are manifesting themselves in planning practice. This book aims to understand how both specific pl…
The Collaborating Planner?
Emerging problematics of deregulating the urban
Urban planning systems, processes and regulations are often blamed – by many mainstream economists – for constraining the supply of housing by interfering with the efficient allocation of land by the market and unnecessarily delaying development. In England, this orthodox view has influenced the government’s deregulatory planning reforms, including – since 2013 – the removal of the requirement for developers to apply for planning permission for t…
A policy on the move? Spatial planning and State Actors in the post-devolutionary UK and Ireland
Devolution has led to a dramatic restructuring of the UK state over the last 15 years. Planning is a devolved function and a concerted process of 'planning reform' has been implemented by devolved (and central) government since devolution, including a move from 'land-use' to 'spatial planning'. Despite some expectations of, and pressure for, policy divergence post devolution, we draw on findings of discourse analysis to demonstrate how there are …
Local authorities doing it for themselves
Since 2010, local authorities in England have faced a dramatic cut in funding from central government, associated with a neoliberal super-austerity seen in many countries. At the same time, these authorities have also been increasingly concerned about the problems associated with private sector delivery of housing and the consequences of their increasing responsibilities for dealing with homelessness. The result has been a resurgence of local aut…
The 2012 Olympic Learning Legacy Agenda – the intentionalities of mobility for a new London model
This paper investigates the emergence of a Learning Legacy Agenda (LLA) in the wake of the London 2012 Olympic Games as a governmental tool for the dissemination of urban development and infrastructure project delivery best practice. Focusing on the inception, coordination and implementation of the LLA we outline the intentionalities of mobility that underpin its formation and appropriation and suggest how this points to the emergence of a new “L…
British local authority planners, planning reform and everyday practices within the state
Reform of the planning system, and the local authority context in which it operates, has been high on the political agenda for all governments in the United Kingdom in the 21st century, reflecting common broader international trends under New Public Management and neoliberalism. Whilst such reforms have been subject to a great deal of academic attention, much of this work has focused on central government perspectives and understands these reform…
Introduction to devolution and the geographies of policy
In this introductory essay, we outline how recent events have generated considerable debate and discussion surrounding the future constitutional status of Scotland and the current devolutionary settlement in the UK, and how the aim of this collection of papers is to evaluate UK devolution and the policy mobilities surrounding it. We argue that there has been a tendency for scholars to concentrate on the detail of the constitutional and administra…
A Reconnaissance of the Great Makarikari Lake
Who else would we speak to?’ National Policy Networks in post-devolution Britain
The implementation of the devolution process that started in 1999 was frequently assumed by contemporary commentators and scholars to lead to a fractured relationship with the national centre and a fragmented state as a consequence. However, discourse analysis and policy reviews in relation to spatial planning policies demonstrates that agendas and legislation implemented by central and devolved governments since devolution are characterised by m…
A Reconnaissance of the Great Makarikari Lake
The Collaborating Planner?
Aims to understand how both specific planning and broader public sector reforms have been experienced and understood by chartered town planners working in local authorities across Great Britain.
The Collaborating Planner?
Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a greater pace of reform to planning in Britain than at any other time. As a public sector activity, planning has also been impacted heavily by the wider changes in the way we are governed. Yet whilst such reform has been extensively commented upon within academia, few have empirically explored how these changes are manifesting themselves in planning practice. This new book aims to understand how…
The collaborating planner?
Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a greater pace of reform to planning in Britain than at any other time. As a public sector activity, planning has also been impacted heavily by the wider changes in governance. Yet whilst such reform has been extensively commented upon within academia, few have empirically explored how these changes are manifesting themselves in planning practice. This book aims to understand how both specific pl…
The Collaborating Planner?
Reform on the Frontline
The modernization of governance systems continues to heavily impact the practice of planning in the UK, as in many countries. The UK Coalition government has moved quickly to introduce a programme of planning reform, particularly in plan-making. Yet this was also a focus for major reforms introduced by the previous Labour government, namely, the local development framework (LDF) system which was meant to encapsulate a shift to a spatial planning …
Collaborating Planner
Policy Convergence, Divergence and Communities
The implementation of devolution (1999) in the UK was assumed to lead to fractured relationships with the national centre and a fragmented state as a consequence. However, discourse analysis and policy reviews in spatial planning demonstrate that policies and legislation implemented by central and devolved governments since devolution demonstrate marked similarities in intention and type (albeit with some differences in name and delivery route). …
Afterword
The referendum held in Scotland on 18 September 2014 resulted in a rejection of the option of becoming an independent nation-state. The perceived closeness of the vote, however, led to a rush of promises for further devolution from UK politicians. This crisis seems to have resulted in a period of constitutional flux throughout the United Kingdom, with demands for further powers for Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as a broad debate on the stat…
Introduction to devolution and the geographies of policy
In this introductory essay, we outline how recent events have generated considerable debate and discussion surrounding the future constitutional status of Scotland and the current devolutionary settlement in the UK, and how the aim of this collection of papers is to evaluate UK devolution and the policy mobilities surrounding it. We argue that there has been a tendency for scholars to concentrate on the detail of the constitutional and administra…
A policy on the move? Spatial planning and State Actors in the post-devolutionary UK and Ireland
Devolution has led to a dramatic restructuring of the UK state over the last 15 years. Planning is a devolved function and a concerted process of 'planning reform' has been implemented by devolved (and central) government since devolution, including a move from 'land-use' to 'spatial planning'. Despite some expectations of, and pressure for, policy divergence post devolution, we draw on findings of discourse analysis to demonstrate how there are …
‘Clock-watching and box-ticking’
The speed of the statutory planning system has concerned UK Governments for decades. The Labour Government of 1997–2010 placed particular emphasis on increasing the efficiency of public services through performance targets. Whilst the subsequent Coalition Government of 2010–2015 removed many targets, those measuring the speed of planning application processing were kept. These performance targets have important potential implications in terms of …
The 2012 Olympic Learning Legacy Agenda – the intentionalities of mobility for a new London model
This paper investigates the emergence of a Learning Legacy Agenda (LLA) in the wake of the London 2012 Olympic Games as a governmental tool for the dissemination of urban development and infrastructure project delivery best practice. Focusing on the inception, coordination and implementation of the LLA we outline the intentionalities of mobility that underpin its formation and appropriation and suggest how this points to the emergence of a new “L…
Who else would we speak to?’ National Policy Networks in post-devolution Britain
The implementation of the devolution process that started in 1999 was frequently assumed by contemporary commentators and scholars to lead to a fractured relationship with the national centre and a fragmented state as a consequence. However, discourse analysis and policy reviews in relation to spatial planning policies demonstrates that agendas and legislation implemented by central and devolved governments since devolution are characterised by m…
Planning, regulation and space standards in England
The regulation of housing quality has a long history in England. As the state itself increasingly became a housing developer in the twentieth century, design standards were subject to self-regulation. Through this, the idea that housing quality includes minimum dwelling sizes – space standards – has entered public consciousness. The 2010–2015 coalition government introduced suggested space standards through planning control, but also extended the…
Housing quality, permitted development and the role of regulation after Covid-19
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought the issue of housing quality into sharp relief. For \nmany people, home before the pandemic was a place to return to after work, school or a holiday: \none of a number of spaces in which life is played out. But COVID-19 has focused daily existence on \nthe home. It has suddenly become more intensely multi-functional: a workspace, a classroom and a \nleisure space all bundled into one (it was always these …
Emerging problematics of deregulating the urban
Urban planning systems, processes and regulations are often blamed – by many mainstream economists – for constraining the supply of housing by interfering with the efficient allocation of land by the market and unnecessarily delaying development. In England, this orthodox view has influenced the government’s deregulatory planning reforms, including – since 2013 – the removal of the requirement for developers to apply for planning permission for t…
Hard, soft and thin governance spaces in land-use change
In recent years, converting office buildings to residential use became a high-profile issue in the UK and in the Netherlands. There has, however, been differentiation in the policy response between England and Scotland (planning policy being devolved within the UK), and the Netherlands. We conceptualize this differentiation through the lens of variegated neoliberalism in the forms of hard, soft and thin governance spaces. England, where planning …
British local authority planners, planning reform and everyday practices within the state
Reform of the planning system, and the local authority context in which it operates, has been high on the political agenda for all governments in the United Kingdom in the 21st century, reflecting common broader international trends under New Public Management and neoliberalism. Whilst such reforms have been subject to a great deal of academic attention, much of this work has focused on central government perspectives and understands these reform…
The conversion of buildings to housing use
Faced with acute housing crises, some governments are inclined to strip away the ‘bureaucracy’ of planning, relaxing rules on the scrutiny of planning applications and seeking to accelerate the building of new homes. The planning that remains becomes a ‘client service’ for the development industry – a system of housing licensing that follows on from a basic consideration of legal compliance. Such a system has been introduced in England, rooted in…
Local authorities doing it for themselves
Since 2010, local authorities in England have faced a dramatic cut in funding from central government, associated with a neoliberal super-austerity seen in many countries. At the same time, these authorities have also been increasingly concerned about the problems associated with private sector delivery of housing and the consequences of their increasing responsibilities for dealing with homelessness. The result has been a resurgence of local aut…
Planning, adaptive reuse, housing quality and health in a post-pandemic England
This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0
Disparate goals, progressive ideals? Professional biographies of planners in the UK and their ideas of ‘mission’
In this paper, we utilise data from biographical interviews to examine the values held by UK planners and whether and how they promote progressive planning ideals in their everyday work, often despite countertendencies in planning systems and organisational priorities. Our research concurs with the idea of a mildly progressive, yet conservative, positioning: in Hillier's (2002) terms, some planners are 'on a mission' but these missions vary from …
Health and wellbeing impacts of housing converted from non-residential buildings
Housing quality is a determinant of health, wellbeing and inequities. Since 2013, changes to Permitted Development Rights (PDR) allow conversions of non-residential buildings into housing without planning permission in England. We explored the potential health and wellbeing impacts of such ‘PDR housing’ through an online survey and semi-structured interviews in four London boroughs. We found an association between low wellbeing and lack of reside…
English Devolution White Paper 2024
This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Political science (17 obras) · Public Administration (14 obras) · Urban Planning and Governance (14 obras) · Law (13 obras) · Economics (11 obras) · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism (11 obras) · Sociology (11 obras) · Geography (10 obras) · Business (8 obras) · Environmental planning (8 obras)