The politics and planning of urban compaction: the case of the London Metropolitan region

This paper investigates how the theoretical debate and actual planning related to the compact city model manifests itself for the case of the London Metropolitan Region – a context that has been exposed to significant debates and programmes on urban compaction. This paper presents three main aspects. First, it briefly revisits the state of the compact city debate. Second, it introduces the most relevant planning tools, the governance of spatial planning in London and the integration of land use and transport infrastructure facilitated by the city’s strategic planning instrument, the London Plan. Third, it introduces the London metropolitan region and its spatial characteristics while highlighting the most important urban development patterns. It focuses specifically on residential and workplace densities and mobility patterns and highlights the changes over the last ten years. The paper will conclude that today, London can be considered as a case where a political agenda for urban compaction has been reinforced by market forces which together have led to a new phase of urban development leading to a more compact, walkable and transit oriented city.