Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The role of a plan in the system as well as the underlying planning concepts deter-
mine both what is visualised as well as how it is visualised. This becomes very
obvious when comparing the detailed, territorial and comprehensive approach in
regulatory and binding plans in Germany with the sectoral and policy-oriented
approach to visualising indicative guidelines in the English plans. The analysis
showed that generally spatial policies are more comprehensively visualised in the
German and Dutch spatial plans, thus giving certainty to lower planning tiers,
although the two countries rely on different mechanisms to achieve conformity
within the system. Germany follows a hierarchical and regulative planning
approach and a 'scientific-rational' approach to mapping, while the Netherlands
rely on the power of consensus, persuasion and 'golden reins' of national govern-
ment funding, which leaves more room for different visualisation techniques, from
complex GIS-based mapping to more 'artistic' representations. In comparison,
although all English plans are required to contain a key diagram, this is in many
cases merely an instrument to highlight future road improvements and to allocate
regional policy funding, rather than an attempt to visualise the complex spatial inter-
relations facing the territory. Hence, there is much stronger emphasis on the
written statements in English plans, which give more general guidance on prin-
ciples for territorial development in the region. The maturity of a system also affects
the approach to visualising, as the new agenda for regional planning in England
and the wide variety in the visualisation of policy demonstrate in comparison with
the well established German and Dutch systems. Furthermore, the still largely sec-
toral approach to spatial planning in England may also at least partly explain a
certain inhibition to visualise the interaction of different policies on the territory.
However, in a planning tradition which is primarily based on communication and
consensus one would expect a somewhat more sophisticated use of powerful
communication tools such as key diagrams. This, and the wide variety of
approaches to visualisation in the RPGs under study, indicates the relatively new
and inexperienced use of planning instruments at this level.
In contrast to the well established tradition of visualising in strategic planning
in the Netherlands and Germany, there is no tradition of cartographic representa-
tion of integrated spatial policy at national level in England. This is of particular
concern for regional planning, which will be given ever more attention under the
reformed planning system. The analysis showed that in some cases not much
thought had been given to the preparation of the key diagrams in English plans.
However, they could potentially provide examples of how to prepare attractive,
meaningful and convincing cartographic representations of spatial policy at
transnational levels, given the emphasis on guiding principles and communicative
