Raco, M. (2007). Building sustainable communities: spatial policy and labour mobility in post-war Britain. Bristol, Policy Press.
This book develops a historically grounded analysis and assessment of the relationships between spatial policy, community development and labour market policies in post-war Britain. The book explores the ways in which policy-makers in the UK, in different eras, have sought to use state powers and regulations to create more sustainable communities. The research draws on a range of methods, including semi-structured interviews, archival research, and analysis of policy documents. The author traces historical changes in the UK since 1945 in community-building policy frameworks, place imaginations, and core spatial policy initiatives in the UK, examines tensions within spatial policy visions, and shows that there are significant policy lessons that can be learnt from the experiences of the past.