Book Review

by Paul Ganderton

Dalal-Clayton B. 1997. Getting to Grips with Green Plans. Earthscan. pp xx + 280. ISBN 1 85383 3428 9. £17.95.

Given the arguments raging in Australia about greenhouse gas emissions perhaps it would be better for this to be more widely available here! As it is the author has produced an excellent summary of the ways in which nations are addressing the need for more environmentally-aware planning systems. The book starts, usefully, with an executive summary which sets out the arguments succinctly. This is followed by the first of two parts. 8 chapters are grouped together under the heading of overview and synthesis. Essentially this is the theoretical underpinnings from which the analysis in part two proceeds. Chapters examine approaches and stimuli, foci, time frames, participation, links to other strategies and politics rounded off with a concluding chapter which draws together the main points. The aim of this part therefore is to give the reader a context within which national-level planning can be seen. Part two focuses on a series of case-study nations: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Latvia, Holland, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, UK and the USA. Two further chapters examine the EU and a range of smaller nation studies. Here, the reader is given a tour through some of the most influential decisions in environmental planning.

This text produces some excellent detail of use to senior students and above. The complex ideas that can often obscure plans are laid out in clear language. Many students would be able to compare their nation with others. A useful appendix listing both contacts and a set of structured interview questions would provide the student with the ability to either search for information or take this work to the local level. It is an excellent introduction to international thinking and deserves the widest readership.