This book evaluates the effectiveness of the Green Belt planning policy in England. It is one of the most well-known strategies internationally, with similar growth restraint policies having been adopted in a diverse range of cities around the world, such as Portland, Medellin and Bangkok. Despite this, it is often argued that Green Belts contribute to wider inequitable outcomes in society.

Focusing on the Green Belt in England, the book critically analyses the extent to which these policies and planning systems contribute to housing crises and examines how far they need to be reformed. With the central role of community engagement in many of the debates about housing crises, the book investigates the characteristics of popular and campaigner opposition to housebuilding alongside investigating the power relations and politics of planning systems. This timely research taps into important current policy debates in the UK surrounding urban nature, green infrastructure, and building on the ‘grey belt’.

The book is therefore of relevance and benefit to policymakers and politicians, to academics and students internationally from a range of fields interested in housing, community engagement, green infrastructure, strategic planning, power and politics, and conservation.

Charles Edward Goode is an Assistant Professor in Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Geography at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is a geographer and trained planner with research and teaching interests in strategic planning and regional governance, community involvement, housing supply/affordability and planning history.