Western Europe, current city expansion and the use of GIS

Garreauʹs concept of an “edge city” is discussed with regard to London and northwest Europe. It is argued that the employment of geographical information systems (GIS) will enable new forms of planning which have a degree of flexibility and responsiveness not found in traditional planning systems. Electronic networks can help to democratise a planning system and to generate plans which transcend the administrative boundaries of older cities. Greater integration between physical planning and the free market may also be possible. The argument is illustrated with reference to practice in the Paris region, the Netherlands, Belgium and the South England Edge City (SEEC).