Neil Powe is a lecturer in planning at the University of Newcastle. His main research interests include non-market environmental valuation and rural planning. Market towns research has provided the focus of his rural planning research and he has co-authored a number of journal articles on the subject. He has published a book on environmental valuation. Trevor Hart is visiting research fellow in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Newcastle. He has a number of years’ experience of practice in planning and economic development in rural areas and has recently been engaged in a number of evaluation studies involving the impact of enterprise policy in deprived communities, graduate recruitment in small businesses and the impact of social enterprise. Tim Shaw is head of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Newcastle. His research has covered various aspects of regional planning and he has many years’ experience dealing with issues of rural planning. He has co-authored journal articles on market towns and is currently editing a special issue on green belts for the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.

• Foreword 1 The challenges of understanding market towns Part 1 Characteristics, roles and policy 2 Market town characteristics 3 Exploring contemporary functional roles 4 Policies for market towns Part 2 Issues and challenges 5 Transport and mobility in the English market town 6 Ready or not: the ageing of the market towns’ population 7 Market towns, housing and social inclusion 8 Capacity vs. need: exploring regional differences in housing provision in market towns 9 Market towns and rural employment 10 Visiting the shops: rural service centre or visitor attraction? Part 3 What prospects for market towns? 11 Drivers for change in the case study towns 12 Market towns: roles, challenges and prospects

Neil Powe is a lecturer in planning at the University of Newcastle. His main research interests include non-market environmental valuation and rural planning. Market towns research has provided the focus of his rural planning research and he has co-authored a number of journal articles on the subject. He has published a book on environmental valuation. Trevor Hart is visiting research fellow in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Newcastle. He has a number of years’ experience of practice in planning and economic development in rural areas and has recently been engaged in a number of evaluation studies involving the impact of enterprise policy in deprived communities, graduate recruitment in small businesses and the impact of social enterprise. Tim Shaw is head of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Newcastle. His research has covered various aspects of regional planning and he has many years’ experience dealing with issues of rural planning. He has co-authored journal articles on market towns and is currently editing a special issue on green belts for the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.

• Foreword 1 The challenges of understanding market towns Part 1 Characteristics, roles and policy 2 Market town characteristics 3 Exploring contemporary functional roles 4 Policies for market towns Part 2 Issues and challenges 5 Transport and mobility in the English market town 6 Ready or not: the ageing of the market towns’ population 7 Market towns, housing and social inclusion 8 Capacity vs. need: exploring regional differences in housing provision in market towns 9 Market towns and rural employment 10 Visiting the shops: rural service centre or visitor attraction? Part 3 What prospects for market towns? 11 Drivers for change in the case study towns 12 Market towns: roles, challenges and prospects

Neil Powe is a lecturer in planning at the University of Newcastle. His main research interests include non-market environmental valuation and rural planning. Market towns research has provided the focus of his rural planning research and he has co-authored a number of journal articles on the subject. He has published a book on environmental valuation. Trevor Hart is visiting research fellow in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Newcastle. He has a number of years’ experience of practice in planning and economic development in rural areas and has recently been engaged in a number of evaluation studies involving the impact of enterprise policy in deprived communities, graduate recruitment in small businesses and the impact of social enterprise. Tim Shaw is head of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Newcastle. His research has covered various aspects of regional planning and he has many years’ experience dealing with issues of rural planning. He has co-authored journal articles on market towns and is currently editing a special issue on green belts for the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.

• Foreword 1 The challenges of understanding market towns Part 1 Characteristics, roles and policy 2 Market town characteristics 3 Exploring contemporary functional roles 4 Policies for market towns Part 2 Issues and challenges 5 Transport and mobility in the English market town 6 Ready or not: the ageing of the market towns’ population 7 Market towns, housing and social inclusion 8 Capacity vs. need: exploring regional differences in housing provision in market towns 9 Market towns and rural employment 10 Visiting the shops: rural service centre or visitor attraction? Part 3 What prospects for market towns? 11 Drivers for change in the case study towns 12 Market towns: roles, challenges and prospects