Public choice theory and the politics of urban containment: voter-centred versus special-interest explanations

The policy of urban containment has lain at the heart of British land-use p lanning for over fifty years. The author examines the political dynamics un derlying the commitment to this policy through the lens of public choice th eory. The analysis suggests that macroelectoral shifts in favour of environ mental protection have provided a push towards restrictive land-use plannin g and an emphasis on urban containment in recent years. Evidence of a 'volu ntary' approach to regulation in other areas of environmental concern, howe ver, suggests that the peculiar focus on containment is attributable to the political power exerted by a coalition of special interests and public sec tor bureaucrats who benefit most from this core of the British planning sys tem.