Planning, Law and Economics

"Needham, Buitelaar and Hartmann have done us a great service. Globally, spatial planning is in a time of transition, and long-standing approaches are being fundamentally re-examined. The authors both take the subject back to its roots, and develop new ways of thinking which will allow us to achieve societal aims while respecting the rights (and needs) of landowners, land users, and future generations. -Harvey M. Jacobs, Professor (retired) , University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

"This book is an exquisite fusion of three usually separated fields: planning law, economics, and planning theory (its social-justice aspects). The appetizer is a hypothetical urban-regeneration story which deserves to become a classic in its own right. The chapters on property law, planning law and citizen rights unfold with admirable rigor around a conceptual anchor that transcends disciplinary and national borders. This is a must-read for scholars, students and practitioners in planning." -Rachelle Alterman, Professor Emeritus of Planning and Law, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

"Beyond discussion, the issue of law is one of the central pillars of planning theory and practice, and yet there are few books that tackle this theme head-on in a way that is both convincingly comprehensive and accessible. This book achieves this purpose brilliantly. It is a welcome addition to the literature, particularly as it systematically and effectively links the issue of law with crucial questions both of economics and of ethics. The book covers the theoretical issues in depth in all aspects of the topics in question, without neglecting the main implications at a practical level." -Stefano Moroni, Professor in Planning, Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy