Stylus/Earthscan - The Community Planning Handbook: How People Can Shape Their Cities, Towns and Villages in Any Part of the World

The Community Planning Handbook

How People Can Shape Their Cities, Towns and Villages in Any Part of the World

Nick Wates

Paper: 978 1 85383 654 1
Price: $32.50

Publisher: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
June 2000 , 240 pp., 5 3/4" x 8 1/4"
photos, figures, color throughout

An accessible how-to-do-it style, with tips, checklists and sample documents help readers to get started quickly, learn from others' experience and select the approach best suited to their situation. The glossary, bibliography and contact details allow them to find further resources and information. This handbook is essential for all those involved in shaping their local environment - planners, architects, community workers, local authorities and residents - and a useful reference for students.
Published in association with The Urban Design Group, The Prince of Wales' Foundation for Architecture, South Bank University and the UK Department for International Development

Table of Contents:

Why Get Involved? Getting Started; General Principles A-Z; Methods A-Z; Scenarios A-Z; Useful Formats; Useful Checklists; Glossary; Publications and Film A-Z; Contacts A-Z.

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Reviews & Endorsements:

"Grassroots planning is now orthodox and Nick Wates' book is an excellent and comprehensive catalogue of how to do it....The intended reader appears to be both the experienced professional and the lay resident--a difficult trick to pull off, which books on democratizing design rarely achieve, but this one does....I hope to come across lots of well-thumbed copies in libraries, community associations and architects offices."
- Joe Holyoak , Urban Design Quarterly

"This is a useful resource guide for people who want to influence the design of their city or town. Wates well-organized primer on community planning offers numerous ideas that could be helpful to 'ordinary' people who are interested in organizing a local planning effort but may not know how to begin. It is attractively designed and well-illustrated, presents a brief overview of general principles... And also provides 16 short scenarios of common development situations."
- The Futurist

"We are finding The Community Planning Handbook very useful and...plan on ordering multiple copies."
- Susan Boyd , Concern Inc.,

"This is the best practical guide to running a community planning event, and a must for community groups and councils both in the UK and abroad."

- Roger Evans, Chairman, , Urban Design Group

"This excellent work shows an absolute understanding of the issues of consultation/participation."
- Peter Richards , Deicke Richards Architects, Australia

"All over the world there is an increasing demand for people's participation in the process of planning and managing their built environment. However, not many books on community planning and participation are written in a ' how to do it' style for a wide audience....The handbook is very easy to read and understand, due to its simple and concise language, clearly structured format and layout, alphabetical ordering, illustrations and communicative icons....(it) is a valuable steppingstone in promoting democratic community participation in shaping the built environment."
- Urban Policy and Research

"The clear and concise copy as well as the very appealing graphic formatting make this an excellent handbook which will be useful to so many different users in so many ways."
- Tony Costello, Professor of Architecture, , Ball State University

"A very clear, well organized and extremely useful book for those who are or who ought to be promoting democratic participation in shaping the future of our communities. In addition to prudent principles, a well researched overview of methods and good examples of specific tools, the Scenarios section demonstrates how the various methods described can be mixed and matched to meet the unique circumstances found in any community. With its emphasis on flexibility and adaptation in the face of experience, this is a book that I will recommend to clients and colleagues alike."

- J. Gary Lawrence, President, , Sustainable Strategies & Solutions, Inc., Seattle

More Reviews...

Related Titles by Subject:
See Urban Studies ( Built Environment & Urban Studies ) ; Community Organizing ( Environment & Conservation ) and Community Organizing ( Politics & International Studies )