This is an important book. The authors in effect offer a positive theory of planning and urbanisation. As such, Webster and Lai''s model, based on institutional economics, is a vast improvement on some equally ambitious predecessors. The book''s insights and clarity make it a must reading for anyone seeking better understanding of how cities evolve as they do, and why planning is an integral part of their evolution.'' - Ernest Alexander, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, US ''A truly remarkable achievement.'' - Mark Pennington, University of London, UK ''Chris Webster and Lawrence Lai have created a coherent and insightful integration of concepts such as property rights, organizations, competition, incentives, transaction costs, public goods, and externalities, which will help theorists and urban practitioners analyze and manage city goods and services. An important insight of the authors is the recognition of the interdependencies of people in a neighborhood, which can be efficiently handled with shares in the property value of the neighborhood. There is a constant question of how much markets and how much government should be involved in urban matters, and the authors provide a reasoned, balanced approach which recognizes the vital role of government while appreciating the effectiveness of markets and decentralized decision making, including private institutions or" clubs" such as homeowners'' associations. Their position that governments and markets co-evolve and complement one another is sound, and their conclusions regarding the need to provide clear property rights and efficient rules provide us with theoretical tools to better understand how cities can be improved while being wary of the "allure of utopia".'' - Fred Foldvary, Santa Clara University, California, US ''This is a really important contribution to the planning literature. Beautifully written and clearly structured, it explains the complex relationship between" planning" and "markets" using the economic perspective of transaction cost theory and the" new-institutionalism". This provides a robust way of addressing the old "economic and planning" agenda, which the authors illustrate with references to cases and situations from across the world. Informative and stimulating, this should be included in every planning theory course, and will be helpful to all trying to re-think old debates about planning and markets.'' - Patsy Healey, Newcastle University, UK ''Professors Webster and Lai have written a masterly work that applies the principles of Hayek and of institutional economics to understanding cities. This is a refreshing and more convincing alternative to the standard politically correct views.'' - Harry W. Richardson, University of Southern California, US ''Property Rights, Planning and Markets covers an original and intriguing issue, viz. the existence and development of cities at the interface of market forces and planned or controlled policies ...the book offers new horizons and contains refreshing reading material.'' - Peter Nijkamp, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands This book represents a major innovation in the institutional analysis of cities and their planning, management and governance. Using concepts of transaction costs and property rights, the work shows systematically how urban order evolves as individuals co-operate in cities for mutual gain. Five kinds of urban order are examined, arising as co-operating individuals seek to reduce the costs of transacting with each other. These are organisational order (combinations of property rights), institutional order (rules and sanctions), proprietary order (fragmentation of property rights), spatial order and public domain order. Property Rights, Planning and Markets also offers an institutional interpretation of urban planning and management that challenges both the view that planning inevitably conflicts with freedom of contract and the view that its function is a means of correcting market failures. Real life examples from countries and regions around the world are used to illustrate the universal relevance of theoretical generalisations, which will be welcomed by a new generation of policymakers and students who take on a world view that goes beyond national boundaries.
Professor Lawrence Lai reports in this book further planning appeal cases, as a sequel to his pioneering attempt (1999) to systematically document and compare the first generation of decisions made by the Appeal Board under the Town Planning Ordinance (Chapter 131, Laws of Hong Kong).
This book is the first systematic attempt to document statutory building control in Hong Kong. It examines 40 cases decided by the Building Appeal Board with reference to the overlapping jurisdictions of the Buildings, Lands and Planning authorities in controlling building development. The cases are categorized under nine major themes, namely 'procedures and principles', 'immediate neighbourhood', 'widths of streets', 'lanes', 'access and parking', 'stepped streets', 'means of escape', 'illegal structures and enforcement orders' and 'demolition'. Each case is examined in detail, cross-referenced and illustrated by drawings and photographs where appropriate. For each category, a list of relevant law cases and a summary of the decision criteria identified are also provided. This work should be of great value to Authorized Persons, surveyors, lawyers and town planners who practise in Hong Kong, as well as those who are interested in the policies and issues concerning building control in a high-rise and high density living environment. It should also help professional practitioners prepare for the relevant APC examinations for the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and other professional organizations.
The author combines the unique multidisciplinary backgrounds of an academic, a political scientist, a lawyer and an urban planner to provide the reader with a novel and challenging discussion about the economic nature of land use zoning. Besides establishing a coherent framework for zoning based on the Coasian property rights paradigm, the book offers the reader several up-to-date case studies, including the government role in assigning exclusive property rights via marine fish culture zoning in Hong Kong. The observations provided in the case studies make a valuable contribution to the reader's knowledge of both the effects of zoning systems and the value of the property rights framework for analysis. They also have important implications for future town planning exercises. Lawrence Lai has been a Lecturer in economics in the Department of Surveying at the University of Hong Kong since 1989. His research interests are property rights analyses in respect of politics, urban planning and environment. This book will be of value to students working in a wide range of subjects, including the building environment and economics, as well as property professionals and environmental planners.
Provides an account of the concept of the use and change in use of land, and an outline of the procedures for lease modifications and waivers, planning applications, reviews and appeals, and building applications and approvals. It also includes an overview of government enforcement against contravention of lease conditions, provisions of statutory town plans prepared under the Town Planning Ordinance, and provisions of the Buildings Ordinance -- Back cover.
Provides an account of the concept of the use and change in use of land, and an outline of the procedures for lease modifications and waivers, planning applications, reviews and appeals, and building applications and approvals. It also includes an overview of government enforcement against contravention of lease conditions, provisions of statutory town plans prepared under the Town Planning Ordinance, and provisions of the Buildings Ordinance -- Back cover.
This book is the first systematic attempt to document statutory building control in Hong Kong. It examines 40 cases decided by the Building Appeal Board with reference to the overlapping jurisdictions of the Buildings, Lands and Planning authorities in controlling building development. The cases are categorized under nine major themes, namely 'procedures and principles', 'immediate neighbourhood', 'widths of streets', 'lanes', 'access and parking', 'stepped streets', 'means of escape', 'illegal structures and enforcement orders' and 'demolition'. Each case is examined in detail, cross-referenced and illustrated by drawings and photographs where appropriate. For each category, a list of relevant law cases and a summary of the decision criteria identified are also provided. This work should be of great value to Authorized Persons, surveyors, lawyers and town planners who practise in Hong Kong, as well as those who are interested in the policies and issues concerning building control in a high-rise and high density living environment. It should also help professional practitioners prepare for the relevant APC examinations for the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and other professional organizations.
The author combines the unique multidisciplinary backgrounds of an academic, a political scientist, a lawyer and an urban planner to provide the reader with a novel and challenging discussion about the economic nature of land use zoning. Besides establishing a coherent framework for zoning based on the Coasian property rights paradigm, the book offers the reader several up-to-date case studies, including the government role in assigning exclusive property rights via marine fish culture zoning in Hong Kong. The observations provided in the case studies make a valuable contribution to the reader's knowledge of both the effects of zoning systems and the value of the property rights framework for analysis. They also have important implications for future town planning exercises. Lawrence Lai has been a Lecturer in economics in the Department of Surveying at the University of Hong Kong since 1989. His research interests are property rights analyses in respect of politics, urban planning and environment. This book will be of value to students working in a wide range of subjects, including the building environment and economics, as well as property professionals and environmental planners.
As Hong Kong town-planning legislation develops, there is an ever-growing demand for a better understanding of the rules and principles behind the discretionary decisions of the Town Planning Board regarding planning applications. Town Planning in Hong Kong: A Review of Planning Appeals is a thorough analysis of 50 unreported cases of the Town Planning Appeal Board on appeals against the Town Planning Board decisions concerning planning applications and review. This book goes beyond the usual requirements of books on 'case and materials': it systematically documents the facts and arguments presented in the decisions, distills the reasons and rules behind them, and comments on each in detail. It also provides a comparative study of all the cases from the perspective of town planning and economics. This book will be of great value to developers, planners, lawyers and professionals who work in the development and conservation of lands in Hong Kong.
This is an important book. The authors in effect offer a positive theory of planning and urbanisation. As such, Webster and Lai''s model, based on institutional economics, is a vast improvement on some equally ambitious predecessors. The book''s insights and clarity make it a must reading for anyone seeking better understanding of how cities evolve as they do, and why planning is an integral part of their evolution.'' - Ernest Alexander, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, US ''A truly remarkable achievement.'' - Mark Pennington, University of London, UK ''Chris Webster and Lawrence Lai have created a coherent and insightful integration of concepts such as property rights, organizations, competition, incentives, transaction costs, public goods, and externalities, which will help theorists and urban practitioners analyze and manage city goods and services. An important insight of the authors is the recognition of the interdependencies of people in a neighborhood, which can be efficiently handled with shares in the property value of the neighborhood. There is a constant question of how much markets and how much government should be involved in urban matters, and the authors provide a reasoned, balanced approach which recognizes the vital role of government while appreciating the effectiveness of markets and decentralized decision making, including private institutions or" clubs" such as homeowners'' associations. Their position that governments and markets co-evolve and complement one another is sound, and their conclusions regarding the need to provide clear property rights and efficient rules provide us with theoretical tools to better understand how cities can be improved while being wary of the "allure of utopia".'' - Fred Foldvary, Santa Clara University, California, US ''This is a really important contribution to the planning literature. Beautifully written and clearly structured, it explains the complex relationship between" planning" and "markets" using the economic perspective of transaction cost theory and the" new-institutionalism". This provides a robust way of addressing the old "economic and planning" agenda, which the authors illustrate with references to cases and situations from across the world. Informative and stimulating, this should be included in every planning theory course, and will be helpful to all trying to re-think old debates about planning and markets.'' - Patsy Healey, Newcastle University, UK ''Professors Webster and Lai have written a masterly work that applies the principles of Hayek and of institutional economics to understanding cities. This is a refreshing and more convincing alternative to the standard politically correct views.'' - Harry W. Richardson, University of Southern California, US ''Property Rights, Planning and Markets covers an original and intriguing issue, viz. the existence and development of cities at the interface of market forces and planned or controlled policies ...the book offers new horizons and contains refreshing reading material.'' - Peter Nijkamp, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands This book represents a major innovation in the institutional analysis of cities and their planning, management and governance. Using concepts of transaction costs and property rights, the work shows systematically how urban order evolves as individuals co-operate in cities for mutual gain. Five kinds of urban order are examined, arising as co-operating individuals seek to reduce the costs of transacting with each other. These are organisational order (combinations of property rights), institutional order (rules and sanctions), proprietary order (fragmentation of property rights), spatial order and public domain order. Property Rights, Planning and Markets also offers an institutional interpretation of urban planning and management that challenges both the view that planning inevitably conflicts with freedom of contract and the view that its function is a means of correcting market failures. Real life examples from countries and regions around the world are used to illustrate the universal relevance of theoretical generalisations, which will be welcomed by a new generation of policymakers and students who take on a world view that goes beyond national boundaries.
This book is the first systematic attempt to introduce the current practice and statistics of town planning in Hong Kong. Part I gives an analytical account of the practical and ideological context, discusses design principles and describes procedures of town planning with particular reference to change in use. The emphasis is on skills of plan interpretation and an appreciation of the intellectual disposition of planners and various objective constraints confronting them. Part II is the first of its kind in presenting and analysing the statistics of planning applications for 11 zones from 1978 to 1998. The success rates of planning applications as well as the main reasons used by the Town Planning Board for rejecting planning applications are elucidated.
This book is the first systematic attempt to introduce the current practice and statistics of town planning in Hong Kong. Part I gives an analytical account of the practical and ideological context, discusses design principles and describes procedures of town planning with particular reference to change in use. The emphasis is on skills of plan interpretation and an appreciation of the intellectual disposition of planners and various objective constraints confronting them. Part II is the first of its kind in presenting and analysing the statistics of planning applications for 11 zones from 1978 to 1998. The success rates of planning applications as well as the main reasons used by the Town Planning Board for rejecting planning applications are elucidated.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.