This is a powerful critique of the growing tendency to reduce the new housing debate to a mere choice between greenfield and brownfield locations. This book points at the structure and organisation of the housebuilding industry, supply and demand pressures in the housing market, the contested nature of sustainability and the political character of the planning process. All factors which must be considered if a truly effective housing land policy is to be devised.

The book:

* analyses social, economic, and political influences on public policy and private investment

* places current controversies within a strong institutional context

* evaluates recent changes in housebuilding

* explores how sustainable development provides both a common and contested discourse for debates

* examines financial and economic impacts of housing land policies