This is an insightful study of spatial planning and housing strategy in London, focusing on the period 2000-2008 and the Mayoralty of Ken Livingstone. Duncan Bowie presents a detailed analysis of the development of Livingstone's policies and their consequences.

Examining the theory and practice of spatial planning at a metropolitan level, Bowie examines the relationships between:

• planning, the residential development market and affordable housing
• environmental, economic and equity objectives
• national, regional and local planning agencies and their policies.

It places Livingstone's Mayoralty within its historical context and looks forward to the different challenges faced by Livingstone's successors in a radically changed political and economic climate.

Clear and engaging, this critical analysis provides a valuable resource for academics and their students as well as planning, housing and development professionals. It is essential reading for anyone interested in politics and social change in a leading 'world city' and provides a base for parallel studies of other major metropolitan regions.