Uncoupling planning and economic growth: towards post-growth urban principles: An introduction

The viability of existing planning instruments is dependent on the maintenance of ceaseless urban economic growth. This dependency is deeply established in the historical roots of planning and has eroded the capacity of planners to address the challenges of socio-ecological justice we face today. How can planning be emancipated from the alleged imperative of growth? Which approaches and toolkits can planners mobilise to promote a mode of urban development that is geared to well-being, equality, and ecological equilibrium? With the ultimate goal of contributing to answering these questions, this introduction critically explores the main challenges of, and some possible pathways towards, a post-growth planning theory and practice. It presents some fundamental insights of post-growth thinking; and reflects on the key areas in which these insights can be actively used by planners: housing, transport and mobility, governance, regulations, food and resource provision, and planning worldviews and ethics. These areas organise the structure of this book.