Sustainable development and economic competition

Abstract

This paper examines the tension between the economic benefits of commercial development and the objectives associated with the development of sustainable urban forms. Economic forces have led to the building forms and development patterns we now have. These have been modified by government controls such as urban and regional planning to a varying extent at different times and in different places. A key issue in the debate about sustainable development in the UK currently concerns the development of out of town facilities. Activities which have traditionally located in town centres; shopping, leisure and commerce have been decentralising to out of town sites, often in new forms of property. Legislation has been passed by Central Government in order to limit this trend. Two case studies are used to explore this issue. The first is from a study for Worcester (UK) City Council. Here an out of town site was proposed for office use in order to strengthen the service sector and improve local economic performance. The second, for Adur District Council concerns the development of out of town retail facilities in a nearby authority. The questions arising are the balance between environmental and economic objectives; the influence of competition and the methods by which some form of control may be introduced. Finally the paper uses a biological metaphor to suggest that there may be reasons for planning authorities' competitive attitudes, which are beyond the rational and which are rooted in their organisational structure.