"Simultaneously expansive and focused, evocative and rigorous, carefully attentive to the past and cautiously prescient about the future, this thoughtful selection of essays is an invaluable testimony to the potential of Planning History as a discipline at the service of an ever-changing and increasingly complex society.Advancing along the trajectory defined by The Routledge Handbook of Planning History, this new publication is essential reading for everybody interested in the discipline."Carmen D’ez Medina, University of Zaragoza, Spain"This vibrant collection retrieves the variegated roots and functions that shaped planning in different European countries. Undoubtedly, researchers and students will draw on these studies for a long time to come."Marco Cremaschi, Professor of Urbanism Sciences Po, Paris. PrŽsident, the French association of Planning School APERAU"Bringing together international experts in the field, this volume gives powerful evidence that the history of urban planning in Europe can only be written by listening to a polyphony of voices rather than providing a monolithic image.Avoiding the traps of focusing on the grand projects of famous urban planners the authors offer a comprehensive, critical overview of the discipline of planning in the 20th century. The volume gives visibility to the planning discourse in the former socialist countries as well, long neglected by urban historians, and emphasizes the political and social underpinnings of the production of urban form. The book is an essential resource for readers interested in the tasks and perspectives of urban planning."Ákos Moravánszky, Professor Emeritus, Institut gta, ETH ZŸrich"This rich compilation of studies brings to light the multifaceted nature of European urban planning practices across the continent, from Spain to Russia, from Sweden to Italy. Ranging from carefully designed in-depth case studies to thought-provoking theoretical observations the book provides an important addition to the dynamic field of urban history understood as an intersection of power, expertise and space."Petr Roubal, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague