Indicators in use: challenges to urban and environmental planning in Britain

This paper aims to highlight some of the key issues which affect the ways indicators are used in British urban and environmental planning. It assesses the adequacy and availability of the national statistical infrastructure, the capability of central government departments to provide clear guidance and coherent frameworks to assist the use of indicators, and the attitude and capacity of local policy makers to cope with their use. Some pointers are then drawn to set the agenda for future research and development to meet the challenge of using indicators in the planning field.