This timely book addresses what it is to be a planner in a changing world: a world in need of transformation in the way planning is done in order to tackle social problems and ecological crises. Nicholas Low argues for the need to revalue public planning, sensitive to the social context in which it takes place.

Contents: 1. People, planet and place PART 1 The Planner’s Role 2. Planners construe their worlds 3. The mirror of planning theory 4. Mapping the terrain of power 5. Being and planning Part 2 Structures and Institutions 6. Neoliberal worlds 7. Class, power and planning 8. Planning and the regulation of capitalism 9. Institutional inertia and evolution 10. Feminist Insights into social structures and values Part 3 Values 11. Justice and society 12. Ecological justice: the self, society and nature 13. Global regulation of environmental exploitation 14. What matters: revaluing planning Bibliography On-line Companion Index

'This book provides a treasure chest of theoretical and political insights about what it means to be a planner and what is entailed in the planning process. Developed over a lifetime of research and teaching, Nick Low connects planning to the major debates going on in the critical social sciences and humanities, and in the world. If you are a student of public planning in need of theoretical inspiration, this book is for you!' --Robyn Eckersley, The University of Melbourne, Australia'For more than forty years, Nicholas Low has been writing with depth and lucidity on the challenging intersections of power, policy, justice, and the environment. Being a Planner in Society provides a culmination of this work in a sweeping, passionate, and compelling narrative that is mandatory reading for all those seeking to safeguard the planet.' --Robert W. Lake, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, US'In our current crises of climate change and rising inequality, the need for action is key, but it must be underpinned by understanding. This book provides a fresh, accessible and rigorous account of key theoretical perspectives that planning students will need to become informed, critical practitioners, able to tackle these challenges.' --Katy McClymont, University of the West of England, UK