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Urban intensification is a key planning strategy in the UK, but one that is frequently resisted by local residents objecting to transformations of urban character. This paper is concerned with the factors that underlie such resistance, and with the opportunities for addressing them through the planning process. The paper relates a case-study of the East London district of Dalston where a mixed-use redevelopment project, strongly supported by local authorities, was fiercely resisted by residents who claimed that the existing character of the locality was being violated. Reflecting on the case through theories of place, gentrification, and planning process, we argue that resident resistance was not simply a case of self-interested NIMBYism, but a product of important differences in the ways that character was variously constructed and valued by local authorities and community members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically the development of principles and practice for integrated planning and urban design around suburban railway stations has not been a core component of British planning. However, over the past decade or so, in response to the growth of a consensus around the need to promote more sustainable transport behaviour, this situation has begun to change. This paper reviews the contemporary literature for integrated planning and design at and around stations and derives a set of analytical criteria which are used to evaluate the policy context for a new railway project in East London: the East London Line Extension. Conclusions are drawn as to whether the principles of good practice are being adhered to and the likelihood of the stations and their environs becoming exemplars of good practice for others to follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]