The disappearing town planner and layout: “Economic rules for town planning” as a government activity reconsidered

This commentary discusses two rules for town planning proposed by economists; explains that these rules need to be contextualised in terms of the role of a government planner, as well as the institutional and physical constraints posed by town layouts; and points out that rules are essential for planning.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cities
Published
2026-02-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2026.106816
Primary Topic
Urban Planning and Governance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The disappearing town planner and layout: “Economic rules for town planning” as a government activity reconsidered

Lawrence W.C. Lai
Cities
Urban Planning and Governance
article

The disappearing town planner and layout: “Economic rules for town planning” as a government activity reconsidered

Lawrence W.C. Lai
article en

Abstract

This commentary discusses two rules for town planning proposed by economists; explains that these rules need to be contextualised in terms of the role of a government planner, as well as the institutional and physical constraints posed by town layouts; and points out that rules are essential for planning.

CitiesVol. 171
Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (CN), University of Hong Kong (HK)
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 65%
Urban Planning and Governance
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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The disappearing town planner and layout: “Economic rules for town planning” as a government activity reconsidered — Lawrence W.C. Lai · Cities (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS