Space against time: competing rationalities in planning for housing

Foucault's understanding of government as the 'conduct of conduct' is adopt ed in order to investigate how the state 'governs at a distance' across spa ce and through time. Rationalities and techniques of governance are identif ied as the main means by which the state establishes 'networks' across the domains to be governed. The effort required to keep the networks in place i s emphasized and it is indicated that conflict can emerge around the ration alities and techniques that underpin governmental networks. A case study ex amining how conflict unfolds is outlined drawn from the planning-for-housin g sector in England. It is shown that governmental rationalities associated with 'developmentalism' are coming into conflict with those associated wit h 'sustainable development'. It is argued that a new rationality of governm ent is thus beginning to recast the networks of planning and that this rati onality privileges space over time.