land at the centre: choices in a fast changing world

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Page 1: Land at the centre: Choices in a fast changing world

366 Book Reviews

region as the mdin unit of the development structure: it is

his enough to enable planning and coordination between various economic actibitiss and spatial units such as villages and regional centres. and compact enough to

enable participation of individual units and local in- stitutions in the procrbs of development. The existence

and proper functioning of resions in the development structure facilitates formation of a decentralized. multi-

level framebvork and proper participation of the popu- lation. regardless of the political regime. The ‘Xian‘ in China and the ‘tvorkers councils‘ and ‘self-managing communities of interest‘ in Yugoslavia are good esamples of decentralization at the regional level in countries with

centrally planned political and economic regimes.

This book will be widely read. studied. commented on and utilized by students and practitioners of development. The

data contained in the chapters on Development Frame of Reference and The Optimal Mis Principle, and in the Appendix ‘A Practical Guide for Social Planners:‘, can serve as a handbook for development planners lvilling to follow its guidelines and try them out in the field.

Some of the philosophicr!l parts of the book leave the

reader uith questions. The discussion of basic values. such as faith, is not presented in an eshaustive manner. and perhaps should not have been included at all in this work. Personal political beliefs of the author should have been

presented as subjective judgcments. without analysis of their philosophical basis and justification. for example in discussing ‘real development‘. Another instance of super-

fluous quality judgcment. without sufficient esplanation or proof, ib the idyllic description of rural society in the preindustrial age. Literary descriptions. for example by the great Russian Lvriters. do not bear out this characteriz-

ation. Also. the author is certainly right in stressing the need to preserve as far as possible in the process of

modernization the traditions of communities, and not to discard them rfl bloc, as has unfortunately been done in many cases in Israel and elsewhere. But the term used by him. ‘communities of values’. sounds too loaded. and a less pretentious one would be preferable. such as ‘com-

munities’ based on joint tradition or ‘communities with

common tradition’.

Israeli readers might take exception to the author’s rather one-sided partisan vie\\ when referring to Israel‘s own experience of development. He has excessive praise for the achievements of Israel under the Labour Government, from 1943 to 1977, and lays too much blame on the non-

Labour governments for shortcomings in the following years. It is now a generally accepted opinion that many negative phenomena originated before 1977. among them

insufficient attention to preservation of traditions in the communities of new immigrants. Also, the ongoing crises in many of the agricultural villages. which are not mentioned in the book. should not be attributed ex-

clusively to the policies of the non-Labour governments. thus ignoring the lack of adequate foresight and planning

on the part of the previous Labour government.

Perhaps the major question regarding the views of the author in this book concerns his strong opinions on the dangers of chaotic growth of marginal towns around the large cities of the developing countries. He rightly con- siders that organic development of regions would prevent the rural exodus. with all its negative aspects, and result in an even-sided development of rural-urban regions with complementary growth of agriculture, industry and ser-

Lice>. This theory was already presented in a most convincing manner many bears ago. but in fact very fe\\ regions in the developing \vorld have developed in this \vay. What occurs instead is a continuous growth of the mepapolis. at twice the rate of natural growth of the

developing countries themselves. In addition, even if the rate ,pf rural exodus declines in the future. there is no

\,iable solution yet in sight for solving the problems of the

marginal areas bvhich already exist.

In spite of its few controversial items. the book in its totality is a most important contribution to the theory and practice of integrated development. Its author draws on ;I

vast experience of Israel itself. of Israeli experts abroad.

and on relevant experience of other countries.

It succeeds in establishing in a systematic way the development objectives for countries tvith different levels of income. It stresses that the main objective of develop- ment is to ensure the best utilization of the human

production factor. It advocates avoiding those elements of modernization uhich do not suit local conditions, such as premature mechanization or imported forms of land

reform. It stresses that such elements are not ends in themselves, and should be rejected if they bring uncler- employment or unemployment. It warns that changes should be gradual and start from the bottom. Japan. today’s industrial giant. started by developing its tra-

ditional agriculture. and changing its landlord into a system pattern of independent farmers. The book stresses the integrated character of planning. its spatial impli- cations and its economic. social, cultural and ethical

issues. It advocates decentralized planning by a combi- nation of ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’. \vith the region as

the main axis of the development structure. It points to the

Lachish region in Israel. as an important example for

observation and study.

The book succeeds in setting up a coherent agenda for developing planning. It presents in general terms Israel’s

road to development. Its underlying philosophy is a combination of realism and idealism. of practicality and

morality. Its writer believes that development is growth and justice. He makes the important assumption that development is feasible; indeecl, faith in man’s ability to

shape his own future underlies all that he has put forth in

this book.

This message could well serve as a motto for all those

involved in development.

SHIMON AkIIR Setrlernerit Study Cenfre

Rehorsot, lsrd

Land at the Centre: Choices in a Fast Changing World. J.C. Halliday, 211 pp.. 1YS6, Shepheard-Walwyn. London, f7.95

The title of John Halliday‘s book echoes R.H. Tawney’s observation that land Ia? at the centre of problems associated with economic and social affairs. Whilst Tawney was referring to post-Reformation England. Halliday considers a wide range of current problems which he argues can be tied in a variety of wa!s to .the place of

land in our society’ - problems ot the inner city.

Page 2: Land at the centre: Choices in a fast changing world

Book Reviews 367

industrialised agriculture. power supply and thr use of energy rssources. transport. and pollutton. He expresses the view that vvhsn examining these problems in the context of England it is labour and capital that have attracted attention rather than land. In this thought- provoking book hs attempts to redress ths balance by bringing the question of land in numerous forms into all mannrr of problems connected with the changing econ- omy and social welfare.

The book, consisting of eight chapters, is divided into three parts. The first introduces a series of problems set against both local and global backcloths. There is also an introduction to Halliday’s ideas that society must in some way change its attitudes and reactions to changing situations if prevailing problems and ‘constraints’ are to be overcome. Indeed, this view of the need for a new ‘mind- set’ to counter social evils pervades much of th2 book. The second part tries to tie both global and local issues to the notion of ‘land at the centre’. This is attempted by asking in what ways does society perceive its cities. towns and countryside. their design and their valur. and. after exploring the choices that have been made on the basis of these perceptions. choices for the future are discussed. In particular. the choice of certain land reforms is pro- pounded as a means of advancing economic and social well-being. The final part of the book is entitlzd ‘A Fairer Country’, a slight misnomer as it does not deal sprcifically with solutions to the numerous problems Halliday raises. Rather, it speculates upon what possibilities might be opened up by people becoming more willing to discuss new ideas and change values and expectations. This general consideration is written from the viswpoint that systematic thinking is required to address the problems of land use - the relationships of land to people, wildlife, recreation and sheer survival are seen as part of an intimately related system. Some suggestions are also made as to what changes in patterns of settlement might become appropriate in the evolution of our society.

1 have already used the term ‘thought-provoking’ to describe this book, and it did indeed make me consider, and even re-consider. attitudes to several issues that could be loosely termed ‘land-related’. But such was the kaleido- scopic nature of the arguments presented that I found my thoughts being whisked from the local to the regional to the global all within a few paragraphs. I was whirled from Habermas to de Bono to Schumacher and back via Unwin, Geddes and Kondratieff without sufficient end result for me to be entirely sure that the journey was worthwhile. If, as was claimed, Halliday was working on the premise that ‘if land is at the centre of many of our ills, may it not also be central to many of the solutions?’ that centrality needed to be demonstrated more explicitly or convincingly for the particular situation pertaining to England (not the United Kingdom, although some Scottish examples are used!). Too much of the discussion seemed to drift into the context of a rapidly changing world’ rather than focussing ‘on the problems of England’ - the avowed intention set out in the introduction. In short, I tended to lose the thread of the arguments because too many conflicting variables obscured my view of ‘land at the centre’.

What Halliday does achieve here is to convey the complexity of land-related issues and to show that there are both winners and losers in any policy decisions. Perhaps a clearer focus upon specific issues and a systematic analysis would have made for more powerful arguments. for esampte. the problem of Green Belt

designation or the conflicts posed by the building of the Channel Tunnel.

There are numerous hints as to what .mind-set’ Hallidav would like us to adopt - local democracy and -grass-roots’ initiatives, a ‘participatory democratic process’. environ- mental education, decentralisation and the demise of adversative politics. These are crystallised in his con- clusions which list four ‘imperatives that cannot be escaped: awareness of a new rote for Britain: political approaches: the impact of ecological demands: and social justice upon a landscape that fits a new world’. Halliday’s optimism at the first sightings of his new order shine through this conclusion. Personally, I’m not SO convinced and whitst I would recommend this book to all ‘small is beautiful’ devotees others might find too many incon- sistencies and insufficient critical analysis.

GUY M. ROBINSON Deparrtnenr of Geography

Uttii,ersity of Edinburgh Editlburgh. Scotland

A Rural Policy for the EEC?. H. Clout, 214 pp.. 19S4, Methuen EEC Series, Methuen, London. f5.95

Who better than Hugh Clout could deal with the subject of this book with the aim of being written ‘by an expert’ and ‘with a style and structure that will make it accessible to the non-specialist’, as stated by R.A. Butlin. general director of the EEC Series? Indeed, the task was not the easiest. The author had in fact to write two books at once. The first one a manual on rural Europe. the second more a political statement arguing for the need of a rural policy for the EEC.

Clout’s introductory chapter insists on the ever prob- lematic aspect of what is expected of the countryside: the production of food - linked to a large extent to agro- business - and the conservation of both rural traditions and landscape. This everlasting, and not readily solved dilemma being dealt with, Clout can give an excellent lecture on the recent history of population mot-ements. Many of the reasons for depopulation in the mid-century and for the repopulation trend in the late sixties are listed. Among the various problems mentioned, Clout points out the often difficult relationship between old-time residents and newcomers. Not surprisingly. less problematic is the creation of ties with newcomers who have decided to work on the land. It is interesting to underline this fact - that man likes to judge his fellows at work and adopts them all the more willingly if they succeed in their new life.

The trend of counterurbanization has created various side effects worthy of mention to the targe readership this book is intended for. Not least among them is the rising cost of land, which can prevent access to new houses for members of local farmers’ families. On the other hand, this trend can have a positive effect on the urban population as it modifies the former negative attitude towards ‘backwards rural life’ into a positive appraisal of the definitively different way of life the countryside may offer.

Yet Clout does not hesitate to mention the dangers caused by the penetration of the countryside by the urban way of life. These can lead to the standardisation of the landscape