For many years planning was something done in the name of progress by distant committees with the abstract aim of tidying boundaries and controlling growth. In the past decade, however, heavy-handed ideology has given way to a new generation of planners from diverse backgrounds--architecture, landscape, even art and performance--who seek fresh, creative ways of working with communities. This book presents and explains, for the first time, the rise and success of this new global sensibility. Organized into five sections--Identity, Utility, Citizenship, Rural, Urban--it explores the challenges of planning in the developed and developing worlds through a series of detailed, often groundbreaking case studies. Projects have been chosen to highlight a variety of approaches. They range from the recycled architecture of Rural Studio in Alabama to the remarkable revitalization of isolated communities in Japan, from the rehabilitation of industrial wasteland in Germany to novel ways to provide clean water in South Africa. Other projects include Edible Schoolyard (Berkeley, California), De Strip (Netherlands), Osuna Cattle Tracks Regeneration (Spain), Play or Rewind (Italy), and Ephemeral Vineyard (France). The in-depth studies are completed with valuable technical information.