1 The Cost of Making Land Use Decisions .

Introduction.

Beyond the ‘market versus the government’ debates.

The study of transaction costs in planning and property research.

The relevance for planning practice.

The structure of this book.

References.

2 Institutions and Transaction Costs .

Economic approaches to institutionalism.

Institutions and transaction costs in the (early) new institutional economics.

Governance structures and property rights: building upon and refining Coase’s work.

How do transaction costs emerge? Transaction dimensions and economic behaviour.

Relationship between transaction costs and institutions.

References.

3 Operationalising Institutions and Transaction Costs .

User rights regimes as particular governance structures.

A transaction-cost analysis of the development process: a methodology.

The empirical research.

References.

4 Nijmegen: The Quest for Control in Corporatist Tradition .

Dutch planning and property law.

The Marialaan project: small but complex.

Transaction-costs analysis of the Marialaan.

References.

5 Bristol: Planning In Uncertainty .

English planning and property law.

Wapping Wharf.

Transaction-cost analysis of Wapping Wharf.

References.

6 Houston: Planning in the City That Does Not Plan? .

Planning in the US: social conflict over property rights.

Houston: no zoning, but not unregulated.

Houston city planning in practice: Montebello.

Transaction-cost analysis of Montebello.

References.

7 Comparing and Explaining Transaction Costs: Learning from the Cases .

The user rights regimes compared.

Transaction costs entangled in structures.

References.

8 Transaction Costs and the Institutional Context .

The quest for control over development.

Relationship between public and private sector.

Attitudes towards transaction costs.

Legal styles: Flexibility, certainty and accountability.

References.

9 Planning at What Cost? Conclusions and Discussion .

Applying transaction cost theory to planning and development.

Transaction costs as dead weight losses or means with a purpose?.

References.

Appendix A: Interviewees .

Appendix B: People Working in Planning .

Index