After the success of the 2017 series, we are very pleased to announce five further talks in our 'Planning School'. Book for all five for the price of just four - and non-members who book for the whole series will be given 12 months individual membership of the Society. To find out more and to book, click here The planning system is a complex world of jargon-filled regulations, inscrutable maps and emotionally charged meetings. It is inhabited by an unseemly mixture of politicians, developers and consultants, with ordinary local people often bearing the brunt of their deals in the high streets and neighbourhood roads where we live. It is often blamed for blighting our beloved places with ugly buildings, and yet is similarly accused of holding back the development we need to meet pentup housing demand. Planning is one of the most visible and potent outworkings of our democracy. It is the forum that safeguards by law our rights as citizens to influence the places we live and work in the city. How then do we engage with the planning system? Why did some parts of London end up the way they did? What (or who) are the main forces at work in shaping urban form? How can we value the past while thinking about London's future? The Saturday Planning School will be a forum for discussing these issues in the midst of a rapidly changing London. As the city sees unprecedented changes in infrastructure provision, physical growth and demographic change, what does a well-functioning planning system look like? Over five weeks, experts at the coal face of shaping London will be discussing the workings and challenges of London's planning system through the lens of scale - successively scrutinising the site, the neighbourhood, the borough and the city with an interlude on density and housing.

• Saturday, 1 September: The Site

Join Dr David Knight and Guy Rochez as they launch the Society's 2018 Planning School series. What is the future for the terraced and semi-detached house? What is the accumulated effect of backyard extensions? When does planning turn into non-planning? To what extent will London's housing growth be delivered in the suburbs?

• Saturday, 8 September: The Neighbourhood

Dr Jan Kattein and David Barrie pose the questions - How are high streets vital to our city? What are the forces that shape local neighbourhoods? What is a community asset and what agency do communities have in the planning system?

• Saturday, 15 September Density and Housing

Claire Bennie and Lorraine Hughes explore - How dense should we plan? What are the principles of good high density housing? Why do big developments take so long in the planning system? What makes a good masterplan?

• Saturday, 22 September The Borough

Patricia Brown and Dr Jessica Ferm discover - How has central London changed in the last 20 years? Why do some boroughs look so different to each other? Can public spaces change the atmosphere of a whole borough? What is the role of design in the planning system?

• Saturday, 29 September The City

Mark Brearley and Euan Mills ask - What are London's strategic planning objectives? Why does the mayor get involved with individual planning applications? Why should we get involved in strategic policy? Who will drive future planning practice? To find out more and to book, click here