PLANNING THEORY: DEFINITION AND PERSPECTIVES

 a universal human activity involving the

consideration of outcomes before choosing
amongst alternatives.

 a deliberate, self-conscious activity

“... the planning of the unified development of
urban communities and their environs,
and of states, regions and the nation,
as expressed through determination of the
comprehensive arrangement of land uses and
land occupancy and the regulation thereof.”
 improve efficiency of outcomes
 optimize
 counterbalance market failures
 balance public and private interests
 widen the range of choice
 enhance consciousness of decision making
 civic engagement
 expand opportunity and understanding in
community
 Theory is a way of understanding the world, a
framework for our interpretation of facts and
experience.
 Theory has to be applied
 Praxis: it distinguishes itself from practice as
a self-critical activity that recognizes that
external world, including the practitioner, is
the product of previous human interactions
 Planning, unlike the sciences, is ultimately a
prescriptive, not a descriptive activity. The
planner’s aim is not to describe the world as it
is, but rather to propose ways in which things
can be changed.
 Their evaluations require a standard of
reference, an explanation or model of the
planning process, in short, a theory.
 No consensus on a definition of planning theory
 Design profession: the concepts of utopianism and
comprehensiveness; the rational for making better
environment and tools for building it.
 Economists: equity and the public interests,
decision analysis and public aggregation of values
 Psychologists, sociologists and political scientists:
ways choices are made and implemented by
individuals, groups and organizations and societies
 Planning theory is capable of addressing a
whole range of issues
 Definition: what is planning?
 Substantive: what do we know about what
we are planning, and whom we are planning
for?
 Normative: how to plan, and what is the
rational for planning?
 The core of planning theory is the planning process. How do
people plan?
 Planning theory examines the components of he planning
process: their nature, sequence, and the relationship to the
context of the process and its output
 Planning theory involves the rationale for planning, which in
turn raises some questions about planner’s ethics and values
 Planning theory and the question of legitimacy, what entitles
the planner to plan for others and, by implication, to make
decisions and choices of others?
 Subject-oriented theory is that which provides the knowledge base to
inform the planning process - theory in planning. It covers theory relating
to the subjects that are of concern in any particular planning situation,
and often refers to theory from other disciplines relevant to the subject.
 Procedural theory deals with the process of planning, with issues related
to determining the 'best' approaches for transferring knowledge into
action - theory for planning. It includes what type of process is applied,
how decisions are made, how values are included, who is incorporated in
the process and other procedural issues.
 Definitional theory is the body of theory that describes what planning
actually is and how it fits into the social context - theory of planning. It
examines the role of planning within the systems of which it is a part and
includes political and social theories.
 planning is rooted in applied disciplines
 primary interest in practical problem solving
 early planning theories emerged out of practice
 planning codified as a professional activity
 originally transmitted by practitioners via apprenticeships
 efforts to develop a coherent theory emerged in the
1950s and 60s
 need to rationalize the interests and activities of planning
under conditions of social foment
 the social sciences as a more broadly based interpretive
lens
 theories of system operations
 How do cities, regions, communities, etc. work?
▪ disciplinary knowledge such as economics and
environmental science
 theories of system change
 How might planners act?
▪ disciplinary knowledge such as decision theory, political
science, and negotiation theory
▪ applied disciplines such as public administration and
engineering
 “Planning theory is the conscience keeper of the discipline”
(Campbell & Fainstein, 2011)
 Expertise, intuition or assimilated theory?
 Generation of creative tension
 Informing practice, intellectual reflection and stimulation.
 Lends identity and strengthens the discipline.
 What are the historical roots of planning?-the question of theory is of identity
which in turn leads to history.
 1. Formative years (1800-1910)- Ebenezer Howard, Daniel Burnham
 2. Period of institutionalization: 1910-1945- recognition of planning together with
the rise of regional and national planning efforts.
 3. Post war period of standardization- diversification of planning.
 What is the justification of planning ?- Planning is an intervention to alter the
existing course of events.
 What values are inherent and must be internalized in an intervention?- serving the
public interest. Democracy, equality and efficiency.
 What constraints planning practice?- political power, capitalism
 What styles of planning should dominate?- comprehensiveness
 Planning theory seeks to identify underlying
conceptual elements that tie together diverse
planning areas.
 Planning theory is the body of scientific
concepts, definitions, behavioral
relationships, and assumptions that define
the body of knowledge of urban planning.
 The contemporary city is a reflection of
extreme opulence and extreme poverty. It is a
city of divides and segregations.

 Derive grounded theory from these

statements.