Territorial governance and urbanisation an outcome of everyday planning practice

Urbanisation is often erroneously characterised as an unstoppable, autonomous global phenomenon beyond our control. Instead, it should be seen as the net result of myriad, usually conscious and rational decisions by human beings operating within a set institutional context. Most buildings, for example, require planning permissions granted by public authorities operating according to written and unwritten rules. Given this, urbanisation is an outcome of territorial governance and, with it, can be influenced by conscious interventions. Given the urgent sustainability imperative, this chapter investigates how various interventions aiming to promote sustainable urbanisation were implemented in different parts of Europe and the United States and to what extent these were successful. Although the results are mixed, clear signs of impact are found, implying that everyday planning practices can be influenced. The chapter also found that many interventions are drafted with environmental sustainability in mind, but over time incorporate the economic and social dimensions.