All Rights ReservedMccauley, KateWalkerden, GregRuming, KristianHowitt, Richie2025-02-102025-02-102016978-85-7785-551-1https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14235/2613Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the southProperty development is “a process that involves changing or intensifying the use of land to produce buildings for occupation. It is not the buying and selling of land for a profit; land is only one of the raw materials used. Others include the building materials, infrastructure, labour, finance and professional services” (Wilkinson and Reed, 2008, 3). Development activity revolves around the commercialisation of land and its buildings, and is distinguished in well-established urban areas such as major towns and cities by high levels of risk/return, complexity and uncertainty. Urban property development is more often profit-driven and undertaken by an entrepreneurial developers from the private-sector who direct the design and delivery of site-specific projects. Urban development is an individual and collective creative process which relies on skilfulness and effectiveness of specialist consultants from divergent professional practice traditions. Those directly involved in design and delivery of urban built environments play a significant role in shaping urban outcomes. Urban development is a dynamic composition of individual practices set in political, economic, environmental and socio-cultural structural conditions. Here, practice refers to both individual and collective action set in structural conditions.EnglishopenAccessconferenceObject345-347