Planning theory
Introduction:
What is Planning Theory?
‘Planning theory’ is hard to define:
Planning: broad and general concept, it’s not a specific phenomenon
Why is ‘planning theory’ hard to define?
• Planning theorists do different things
– Analysis of planning practice
– Developing theory to change practice.
• Moreover, planning practice is heterogeneous, many methods and techniques are used
• Some attitudes and interests shared by planners:
– ‘Shared interest in space and place,
– a commitment to civic community, and
– a pragmatic orientation toward professional practice’
Define the central question:
‘What role can planning play in developing the good city and region within the constraints of a
capitalist political economy and varying political systems?’ – Fainsteins and DeFilippis
Why Planning Theory?
Significant gap between planning theory and practice. Write and read about planning theory without
changing anything.
Essay of Sanyal: ‘None of the planners mentioned any planning theory they had found useful.’
Reaction John Friedmann: essay ‘Why do planning theory?’
– ‘They learned ‘by doing’, not from theories. His comment raises the question, why, if
practitioners find planning theory to be of little or indeed, of any use, we should bother with
contributing to the several ongoing discourses on theory.’
– Prescriptive theory: what ought to be (normative)
– Predictive theory: what is (description/explanation)
1) Theories that are used IN planning.
o Theories borrowed from economics, sociology, …
2) Theories OF planning
o Theory about how planning ought to be practiced
3) Theories ABOUT planning
o Theories, based on studies, take a critical look at planning as it is actually
practiced
,‘There is no planning practice without a theory about how it ought to be practiced.’
Planners always use/have (consciously and unconsciously) concepts, models, convictions,
worldviews, and assumptions.
For example: many planners believe that they serve the public interest or believe that
planning is rational.
However:
o what is ‘rational’?
o does the ‘public interest’ exist?
Knowledge and action in dialogue
– Friedmann stresses his own contribution to the field.
– Rejection of blueprint planning
o ‘Away from planning as an instrument of control to one of innovation and action’
o Not only top down
– Central questions of planning theory:
o ‘What values ought to guide our practice,’
o ‘What strategies should be adopted, and ‘
o ‘How participation by community and/or stakeholders might be furthered.’
Changing world: globalization, multiculturalism, … changing challenges ask for planning theory
Radical of insurgent planning: rooted in civil society, action oriented.
– Remarkably, Friedmann refers to insurgent planning (anti-state?)
– ‘Capitalist political economy’ (cf. definition Fainsteinand DeFilippis) not accepted by all
planners
– Specific themes to be adressed by planners:
o right to housing
o Feminist concerns
o socially and ecologically sustainable development, bioregionalism
o Gay and lesbian rights
o Anti-racism
put things on the agenda
‘So, why do planning theory? My answer is because, pace Sanyal, it does matter, because it is
essential to the vitality and continued relevance of planning as a profession.’
,Reaction of E. R. Alexander
Alexander stresses the variety in planning practice, contexts.
no ‘general or universal practice of planning’
‘Friedmann… meant that planning practice needs a
theory of what (good/right) planning is/should be.’
Alexander: Friedmann discusses planning ideologies, not planning theory
Normative principles:
Equality or equity?
Equity: taking in account the outcome, same result for everyone
Equality: everyone is offered the same resources, access to the same things
For example, housing: homeless people and people living in large houses.
– Equality: Offer everyone 500 euros
– For millionaires the 500 euros are not needed
– Equity: You could use this money to offer only to people with less money
– Justice: change the system, offer cheap housing
For example, flute on the ground
– Someone who can play the flute
– The other person made the flute, carved the wood etc.
– The third child had nothing at all, wants the flute because they don’t have any flutes
Procedural fairness (or procedural equity or formal justice)
o Consistency, nonarbitrariness in procedures
Expectations (~legal certainty)
Substantive fairness (~formal equality, ~horizontal equity)
o Same procedure for everyone
Substantive equality (substantive equality of outcomes)
o Some people have issues with accessing resourcing
Desert (you get what you deserve)
o Distribution according to individual desert, merit or contribution to common good
Needs => need based rights, ~claim rights
o Right of people based on their needs
Liberty rights
o Right of choice and the correlative duties of forbearance
For example: Distributive ethics: ‘fair’ (ethical) division of e.g. land
– Price mechanism (market), now used
– Violence, who defends their land best
– Colonization (first come, first served)
– Consensus through deliberation
– …
How to study Planning Theory?
– Each theory or idea has a history.
– Each theory builds on elements of other theories.
– Theoretical frameworks change among others through the interaction with other ideas. Often
starts with the critique of something else.
, – Theoretical frameworks cannot be seen in isolation from society and societal processes.
– At each moment, several frameworks exist next to each other, who oppose each other.
o There is not one true or correct ‘planning theory.’
– Comparing theories is difficult since they see society in a different way, build on different
concepts, and differ in terms of what a theory is or should do.
– The history of ideas is complex.
Attempts to simplify the theories:
On the exam: dialogues, human thought is inherently dialogic, it’s how thoughts develop and how the
theories are created.
1950s-1970s
Physical planning
Theories or approaches are related to the time, the background.
Context:
Post-war period rebuilding
Golden sixties: economic growth
Construction of the Welfare state
Development of infrastructure networks (trains, roads, …)
Keynesianism
Physical planning
Introduction:
What is Planning Theory?
‘Planning theory’ is hard to define:
Planning: broad and general concept, it’s not a specific phenomenon
Why is ‘planning theory’ hard to define?
• Planning theorists do different things
– Analysis of planning practice
– Developing theory to change practice.
• Moreover, planning practice is heterogeneous, many methods and techniques are used
• Some attitudes and interests shared by planners:
– ‘Shared interest in space and place,
– a commitment to civic community, and
– a pragmatic orientation toward professional practice’
Define the central question:
‘What role can planning play in developing the good city and region within the constraints of a
capitalist political economy and varying political systems?’ – Fainsteins and DeFilippis
Why Planning Theory?
Significant gap between planning theory and practice. Write and read about planning theory without
changing anything.
Essay of Sanyal: ‘None of the planners mentioned any planning theory they had found useful.’
Reaction John Friedmann: essay ‘Why do planning theory?’
– ‘They learned ‘by doing’, not from theories. His comment raises the question, why, if
practitioners find planning theory to be of little or indeed, of any use, we should bother with
contributing to the several ongoing discourses on theory.’
– Prescriptive theory: what ought to be (normative)
– Predictive theory: what is (description/explanation)
1) Theories that are used IN planning.
o Theories borrowed from economics, sociology, …
2) Theories OF planning
o Theory about how planning ought to be practiced
3) Theories ABOUT planning
o Theories, based on studies, take a critical look at planning as it is actually
practiced
,‘There is no planning practice without a theory about how it ought to be practiced.’
Planners always use/have (consciously and unconsciously) concepts, models, convictions,
worldviews, and assumptions.
For example: many planners believe that they serve the public interest or believe that
planning is rational.
However:
o what is ‘rational’?
o does the ‘public interest’ exist?
Knowledge and action in dialogue
– Friedmann stresses his own contribution to the field.
– Rejection of blueprint planning
o ‘Away from planning as an instrument of control to one of innovation and action’
o Not only top down
– Central questions of planning theory:
o ‘What values ought to guide our practice,’
o ‘What strategies should be adopted, and ‘
o ‘How participation by community and/or stakeholders might be furthered.’
Changing world: globalization, multiculturalism, … changing challenges ask for planning theory
Radical of insurgent planning: rooted in civil society, action oriented.
– Remarkably, Friedmann refers to insurgent planning (anti-state?)
– ‘Capitalist political economy’ (cf. definition Fainsteinand DeFilippis) not accepted by all
planners
– Specific themes to be adressed by planners:
o right to housing
o Feminist concerns
o socially and ecologically sustainable development, bioregionalism
o Gay and lesbian rights
o Anti-racism
put things on the agenda
‘So, why do planning theory? My answer is because, pace Sanyal, it does matter, because it is
essential to the vitality and continued relevance of planning as a profession.’
,Reaction of E. R. Alexander
Alexander stresses the variety in planning practice, contexts.
no ‘general or universal practice of planning’
‘Friedmann… meant that planning practice needs a
theory of what (good/right) planning is/should be.’
Alexander: Friedmann discusses planning ideologies, not planning theory
Normative principles:
Equality or equity?
Equity: taking in account the outcome, same result for everyone
Equality: everyone is offered the same resources, access to the same things
For example, housing: homeless people and people living in large houses.
– Equality: Offer everyone 500 euros
– For millionaires the 500 euros are not needed
– Equity: You could use this money to offer only to people with less money
– Justice: change the system, offer cheap housing
For example, flute on the ground
– Someone who can play the flute
– The other person made the flute, carved the wood etc.
– The third child had nothing at all, wants the flute because they don’t have any flutes
Procedural fairness (or procedural equity or formal justice)
o Consistency, nonarbitrariness in procedures
Expectations (~legal certainty)
Substantive fairness (~formal equality, ~horizontal equity)
o Same procedure for everyone
Substantive equality (substantive equality of outcomes)
o Some people have issues with accessing resourcing
Desert (you get what you deserve)
o Distribution according to individual desert, merit or contribution to common good
Needs => need based rights, ~claim rights
o Right of people based on their needs
Liberty rights
o Right of choice and the correlative duties of forbearance
For example: Distributive ethics: ‘fair’ (ethical) division of e.g. land
– Price mechanism (market), now used
– Violence, who defends their land best
– Colonization (first come, first served)
– Consensus through deliberation
– …
How to study Planning Theory?
– Each theory or idea has a history.
– Each theory builds on elements of other theories.
– Theoretical frameworks change among others through the interaction with other ideas. Often
starts with the critique of something else.
, – Theoretical frameworks cannot be seen in isolation from society and societal processes.
– At each moment, several frameworks exist next to each other, who oppose each other.
o There is not one true or correct ‘planning theory.’
– Comparing theories is difficult since they see society in a different way, build on different
concepts, and differ in terms of what a theory is or should do.
– The history of ideas is complex.
Attempts to simplify the theories:
On the exam: dialogues, human thought is inherently dialogic, it’s how thoughts develop and how the
theories are created.
1950s-1970s
Physical planning
Theories or approaches are related to the time, the background.
Context:
Post-war period rebuilding
Golden sixties: economic growth
Construction of the Welfare state
Development of infrastructure networks (trains, roads, …)
Keynesianism
Physical planning
