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In spite o f the vagueness o f the definition o f spatial planning. Nadin has identified five interconnected them es in the spatial planning approach (2007, p.53):

to focu s on spatial developm ent outcomes and make more effective use o f the planning system to help achieve the goals o f other sectors;

to influence and integrate the delivery o f spatial p o licy - the spatial impact o f other secto ra l po licy - the spatial impacts o f other sectoral policies;

to inject a spatial or territorial dimension into sectoral strategies and policy;

to create new p o licy communities that reflect the realities o f spatial developm ent and its drivers;

to use planning as a learning process - prom oting understanding and argument in a collaborative p olitica l process.

The above them es illustrate the wide extent o f spatial planning, and imply that it is viewed as a m echanism for a more coordinated and integrated strategy as a whole.

Nadin (2007) also identified policy integration as a common theme in all the above, though this them e is not a new concept since there has been com prehensive rational planning.

Referring to British experience o f spatial planning, Nadin (2007) drew attention to two approaches for planning integration: the creation o f formal policy statements as a spatial planning framework and the application o f existing principles in relation to spatial planning (Ibid). The main difference between the two approaches is w hether there is a need for a formal framework for spatial planning: w hile the former argues the strength o f a spatial framework, the latter suggests the coordination o f existing rules and roles may work as properly as a framework.

The first approach, the concept o f creating a formal framework for spatial planning, has been w elcom ed by several professional academies, for instance; a report, 'T he UK Spatial Planning Fram ew ork', released by the Royal Town Planning Institute argues that a guidance approach ‘allows fo r inter-sectoral an d macro-economic coordination,

essential fo r tackling complex problem s ’ (Wong et al., 2000, p. 109); none the less, the latter approach, the application o f existing principles approach, suggests the coordination o f existing rules and roles may w ork properly as a framework, as in an action-netw ork (Carley and Christie, 1998). Such an approach is a more flexible option based on a milieu o f mutual learning and collaborative w ork although it depends on how fa r collaborative and synergistic actions are "o w n ed ” by many sta ke-h o ld ers' (Wong et al., 2000, p.l 10).

Although there are diverging recognitions o f spatial planning, many recognise the significant roles o f governmental activities, since spatial planning is somewhat a form o f governm ental intervention interwoven with political and economic developments (Jorgenson, 1998, p. 11). Its evolution is seen as an outcome o f the developm ent o f nation state and w elfare state policies, since planning is often seen as a tool to promote state modernisation (Vigar et al.. 2000, p.8). If spatial planning was to play a role in national development, it is the land use planning system through which state policies would be delivered. Nadin (2007. p.56) emphasised the significance o f land use planning and stated 'the statutory nature o f land use planning to deliver infrastructure and public service through planning process is a positive inducement to policy coordination’. This recognition implies a linkage between land use planning and spatial planning. As Harris et al. (2002, p.555) has indicated, town and country planning is still a significant and central element o f spatial planning which is the usual method used by the public sector popularly to offer 'a wider, principally governmental, activity to shape the future landscape in a space.

Since spatial planning was introduced to facilitate territorial governance and policy coordination, it is expected to create more coordinative planning and establish

linkages between actors, to balance demands for developm ent with the need to protect the environm ent, and to achieve social and economic objectives. The European Com m ission (1997) referred to spatial planning as:

‘Spatial planning embraces measures to co-ordinate the spatial impacts o f other sector policies, to achieve a more even distribution o f economic developm ent between regions than w ould otherw ise be created by market forces, and to regulate the conversion o f land and property uses ’ (European Commission, 1997, p. 24).

M eanwhile in its ‘N ew Vision for Planning' (www.rtpi.org.uk), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) advocates the need o f spatial framework for the planning in the UK and briefly describes strategic spatial planning as:

'At its simplest, strategic planning is a systematic, integrated approach to policy-m aking taking fu ll account o f context, resources and the long term, while regional planning occurs betw een local and national levels ’ (Dimitriou and

Thompson, 2007, p .29).

Similarly, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) states:

‘...strategic planning is increasingly becoming more comprehensive and inclusive, and it is no longer possible or desirable to separate out land use planning from other associated strategic activities and systems o f im plem entation’ (TCPA, 2003).

Thus, the concept o f spatial planning recognises that major developments affect the quality o f place and there cannot be an appropriate strategic plan without an understanding and vision ‘across a whole range o f social, environmental, and economic issues that go far beyond the considerations o f conventional land use planning, and taking a comprehensive and integrated approach over long tim e horizons/ In other words, one o f the aims o f spatial planning is to ensure effective and coordinated thinking and action across the full range o f sectoral and departmental concerns.

N otw ithstanding, some still questions w hether strategic planning is about coordination (Bryson and Roering, 1996). Moreover, some argue that coordination is not the main purpose o f strategic planning:

...the intent is not to fully integrate strategies across levels and functions, but to deal w ith important issues as they arise, or can be expected to arise, albeit w’hile taking into account the need to co-ordinate in a reasonable w ay with entities and events elsew h e r e ' (Friedman, 2004, p. 58).

However, the fact is, with regard to the need for policy coordination, that national and regional planning policy in many European countries now attempts to embrace spatial planning as a 'strategic coordinating m echanism ' rather than a strict statutory land use activity (Tewdwr-Jones et al., 2000, p.666). Thus spatial planning is seen as a mechanism for strategic coordination in relation to land use planning.

Accordingly, compared to land use planning, which is based on the regulation and control o f land, spatial planning features include wide ranging crosscutting

coordination to ensure the appropriate land use in a sustainable approach. At the same time, when conducting spatial planning, relevant factors, for instance economic development, environm ental protection, even em ploym ent, education and so on, are taken into account in producing a decision that is more conducive to sustainable development.