Infrastructure provision, development processes and the co-production of environmental value

Marvin, Simon and Guy, Simon (1997) Infrastructure provision, development processes and the co-production of environmental value. Urban Studies, 34 (12). pp. 2023-2036. ISSN 0042-0980

Abstract

This paper argues that the current debate about developer contributions in relation to infrastructure networks is blinding us to radical shifts emerging in the relationship between infrastructure providers and developers. Moreover, we suggest that conventional planning discourse about infrastructure charges, standardised service fees and impact assessment could actually hamper the emergence of this new logic. The paper illustrates how a new logic of network provision is subtly, yet profoundly, shifting the context within which the bargaining process unfolds by highlighting the proactive role of infrastructure providers in shaping the location, form and specification of three new developments. We argue that if debate is not extended to take account of these new infrastructure practices then planners will miss a significant new opportunity for promoting new communities of interest between actors who have conventionally been seen as adversarial and thereby encouraging environmentally sensitive development activity that may provide wider community benefits.