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Cities throughout the world continue to physically expand, complicating access to regional open space for the ever-larger share of the world population that lives in cities. As the importance of a green living environment receives increasing attention, the implementation of strategies for controlling where the urban fringe can and cannot move becomes a prominent issue. European governments face the challenge of designing instruments to effectively guide spatial development against the backdrop of neoliberalism. In search of examples of market-based open space preservation, this paper assesses the mechanisms used to steer urban growth in the metropolitan fringe of two multi-million city regions in the Northwest of America—metropoles with populations growing at a staggering rate that control urban expansion in a liberal planning culture, managing to retain a reputation of liveable and green places. Market-based planning appears to be of limited importance. Explanations and relevance for the European debate are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenomena abroad is receiving increasing attention and exporting planning knowledge meets specific difficulties. This article tries to sustain two claims. First, it claims that advising and comparative research are linked, because the more options are known, the more likely it is that a well-suited strategy can be chosen. The second claim is that comparative analysis can be conducted on a number of levels of increasing complexity. These levels are referred to in this article as exhibiting, valuing, explaining and advising. Furthermore, each higher level analysis can only be applied after going through the former level. This article uses the case of land consolidation as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]