Non-local Sources of Urban Policy Change

Abstract

Urban policy change in contemporary Britain has predominantly been national in scale. Within broad limits the decentralised authorities implementing policies have moved in step with a precision that cries out for explanation. Some examples of nationwide urban policy change illustrate the problem. Why did local education authorities adopt a uniform tripartite system of secondary education following the 1944 Education Act? Why did most LEAs then reorganise on comprehensive lines from the late 1960s? What explains the swing in the public housing programme towards mass housing solutions, such as high-rise flats, in the 1950s and 1960s? Why did local authorities shift the balance of their housing effort so drastically in the 1970s from new public housing construction into the rehabilitation of older housing? What explains the swings in urban transport policy (by central departments and local authorities) towards massive highway investment and urban motorways up to 1970, and away from highway building towards support for urban public transport since then? How did it come about that virtually every town centre in Britain has witnessed extensive commercial redevelopment since the late 1950s, often carried out by local authorities themselves or mixed public/private consortiums? Why have changes in health care provision — such as the swings towards and away from very large hospitals or the move towards health centre provision of GP services — taken place on a national scale, rather than being confined to particular regions or localities?