Emerging geographies of English localism: The case of neighbourhood planning

This paper outlines the development of localism in policy making in England, focusing on case studies of neighbourhood planning in Exeter, Leeds and London. The paper argues that localism is a form of liberal institutionalism: it is ‘freeing up’ local organizations and people to act but it also depends on the existence of local institutions that enable a local response. As such, localism exposes the existing geography of civic infrastructure and capacity. However, the case studies also highlight the potential of localism to foster the creation of new institutions – in this the case, the neighbourhood forum – that can subsequently bolster civic capacity in and beyond the focus on planning.