Recognizing justice through neighbourhood scale planning in England

Parker, Gavin, Lynn, Tessa, Wargent, Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1448-9383 and Sturzaker, John 2026. Recognizing justice through neighbourhood scale planning in England. European Planning Studies 10.1080/09654313.2026.2696935

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Abstract

This paper addresses the relationship between justice, planning and the neighbourhood scale. Existing literature on social and spatial justice in planning stretches back to at least the 1960s, with early considerations of the topic frequently focusing on abstract conceptualizations of justice and universalized solutions. Such perspectives too often overlook the messy specificities and situated nature of justice as lived experience. Drawing on research that explored the treatment of justice in community-led plans in some of England's most deprived neighbourhoods, the findings show limited attention to justice, and there is little evidence that, where justice issues are identified, these are promoted or escalated via formal plans. We find that greater attention will be needed if such plans, or indeed larger scale plans, are to recognize and help realize greater social justice. A further theoretical contribution is made in arguing for more concern for situated justice and prefigurative policy in planning, while introducing the label of ‘inscriptive justice’ to the literature.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	0965-4313
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 July 2026
Date of Acceptance:	26 June 2026
Last Modified:	07 Aug 2026 22:54
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188265

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