Tools for Equitable Urban Intensification

Drawing on the neoliberal and equity planning literature as well as Tiesell and Allmendinger's (2005) four categories of planning tools, this paper seeks to recast the instrumentality of planning tools by examining what opportunities exist to foster more transparent and inclusive management of the urban change process, both from theoretical and practical perspectives. Focusing specifically on urban intensification of existing larger cities, the paper introduces the tensions embodied in delivering planning outcomes equitably in a neo-liberal planning context, and the unique role that planning 'tools' can serve in ameliorating these challenges. The paper will serve to position the author contributions in this special issue, which follow on from a Symposium held in Sydney in April 2013, which showcased urban intensification planning tools and strategies. In this introductory article, the authors argue for a need to critically reflect on how planning 'tools' catalyse urban intensification and the challenges associated with striving for socially equitable planning outcomes, in a neo-liberal reality, when relying on these tools.