Unlike books that focus solely on methods, The Craft of Collaborative Planning provides a detailed guide to designing and managing all aspects of the collaborative process, advocating for making collaborative work the norm.

Beginning with a discussion of the political and legal context of collaborative practice in UK land use planning systems, The Craft of Collaborative Planning tracks a path through the challenging task of process design and working with various groups and individuals.　 Taking into account the great need for coherent organizational approaches, Bishop outlines evaluation and learning from the collaborative process for the future.

Jeff Bishop brings to his writing an exemplary career focused on bringing various parties together to generate creative and widely supported plans and projects. With its focused discussion of UK engagement practices, and detailed outline for making a better collaborative process, The Craft of Collaborative Planning is an essential read for practitioners and decision-makers seeking to bring communities together with creative solutions to spatial planning, design, and development.