You have to look very hard to see the intricacies of a place. Particularly in a place like London where places might look different but the people within them act the same, according to that societies norms. This makes Masterplanning at the city block scale very difficult. It is dependant on wider economies which can't be easily challenged on site. Practically, ownership of course is another challenge with breaks in ownership being as clear from a financier, to someone digging a hole for a new pipe to a person walking down a narrow footpath between inaccessible building and car-strewn road.
I always think that Masterplans give too much public space. Or more clearly, too much poor quality public space, when a much smaller amount would be more engaging and encouraging for interaction, and the rest put to more useful purposes like pet polishing centres.
A cycle map of Bucharest sounds much more fun.
I agree with the point about Barry John. 'A visionary space maker'-wow, wouldn't we all want that title.
I think you have something about smaller spaces. I've just been reading about the the old Hutong districts in Beijing, (the word means lane). There was no room for infrastructure, running water, sewers, no space for cars. Every-one was had to walk or cycle past each other every day. No anonymity, intimacy was just forced upon them! But it made for strong communities. Public space that worked.
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