Summary for
PLANNING THEORY
GEO2-3117, 7.5 ECTS
Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht University
Lecturer: Dr. Pilo’
Modern and Postmodern ideas on what planning is about and how it should entail.
Contains:
Lecture Summaries
Relevant Literature with page
references
Literature List with key word
Keyword overview for all lectures
,Table of Contents
Lecture 0......................................................................................................................................................5
Fainstein, Susan and James Defilippis. 2016. Introduction: The structure and debates of planning theory.
In: Fainstein, Susan and James Defilippis (Eds) Readings in Planning Theory: Fourth Edition, Wiley, pp. 1-
18.................................................................................................................................................................5
Problems of defining planning theory......................................................................................................5
Why do planning theory?........................................................................................................................6
Approach to planning theory...................................................................................................................6
Debate History.........................................................................................................................................6
Why and when to intervene in course of things?....................................................................................7
Friedmann, John. 2003. Why do planning theory? Planning theory 2(1): 7-10............................................9
How theories could be categorized - Faludi.............................................................................................9
Classification schemes:............................................................................................................................9
SITAR........................................................................................................................................................9
Næss, Petter. 1994. Normative planning theory and sustainable development. Scandinavian Housing and
Planning Research 11(3): 145-167.............................................................................................................11
sustainable development......................................................................................................................11
normative terms....................................................................................................................................11
descriptive premisses............................................................................................................................11
Implications...........................................................................................................................................12
Criteria...................................................................................................................................................12
Lecture 1....................................................................................................................................................13
Rational planning.......................................................................................................................................13
Context of rational planning..............................................................................................................13
Taylor, Nigel. 1998. Chapter 4. The systems and rational process views of planning. In Taylor, Nigel.
Urban Planning Theory since 1945, pp. 59-74...........................................................................................14
The systems and rational process view of planning...........................................................................14
Systems theory: changing the view on cities.................................................................................14
Rational Process view of planning..................................................................................................16
Stages of rational planning:...........................................................................................................16
Black, Alan. 1990. The Chicago area transportation study: A case study of rational planning." Journal of
Planning Education and Research 10(1): 27-37.........................................................................................17
Rittel Horst & Webber, Melvin. 1973. Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning, Policy Sciences 4, 155-
169.............................................................................................................................................................18
2
, Goal formulation....................................................................................................................................18
Problem definition.................................................................................................................................19
Failure of planning as a (natural) sciences with definable, separable variables and effects..................20
Current Status of rationality concepts (Lecture)................................................................................20
Lecture 2 Critics to Rational Planning........................................................................................................21
Incremental Planning.............................................................................................................................21
Critic to synoptic planning.................................................................................................................21
Comparison of incrementalism and rational planning.......................................................................21
2 p. 81 - 86.........................................................................................................................................21
Branch Approach based on bounded rationality...............................................................................22
Advocacy Planning.................................................................................................................................22
Radical Planning.....................................................................................................................................24
Transformative Theory......................................................................................................................24
Mediation of theory and practice in social transformation...............................................................25
Characteristics of communication.....................................................................................................26
Steps..................................................................................................................................................26
two streams.......................................................................................................................................26
Dilemmas...........................................................................................................................................26
Lecture 3 Communicative Planning and the collaborative Idea.................................................................27
Collaborative (practice)..........................................................................................................................27
Communicative (theoretical base):........................................................................................................27
Ladder of participation..........................................................................................................................28
Key Ideas................................................................................................................................................29
Literature...............................................................................................................................................30
Collaborative forms of Planning.........................................................................................................30
Communicative planning theory........................................................................................................30
Habermas: ideal speech situation......................................................................................................30
Implications for practice....................................................................................................................31
Current Status in practice and critic:..................................................................................................31
Lecture 4 Urban contractualism................................................................................................................32
Shift in Plan creation..............................................................................................................................32
Contracts...............................................................................................................................................33
Content of contracts:.........................................................................................................................33
3
, Realities of contracts.............................................................................................................................35
Implications...........................................................................................................................................35
Outcomes..............................................................................................................................................36
Lecture 5 Insurgent Planning.....................................................................................................................36
Two main perspectives..........................................................................................................................36
Current Relevance 2..............................................................................................................................39
General Understanding..........................................................................................................................39
Radical planning: shift of understanding of justice................................................................................40
Fluid and interactive types of spaces of action......................................................................................40
Open Questions.....................................................................................................................................41
Main critique of IP.................................................................................................................................42
Decolonizing (Sandercock).....................................................................................................................43
Lecture 6 Planning and Diversity...............................................................................................................43
Critic:.....................................................................................................................................................43
Deep difference.....................................................................................................................................44
Ethical shift in planning..........................................................................................................................44
Types of Differences..............................................................................................................................46
Planning in a context of difference........................................................................................................47
Consensus and diversity........................................................................................................................47
Lecture 7 The right to the city (RTC)..........................................................................................................49
Proposition:...........................................................................................................................................49
Lefebvre in Brazil...................................................................................................................................50
Limits.....................................................................................................................................................51
Lefebvre’s utopian Right to the city from the 60s..................................................................................51
The Movements right to the city...........................................................................................................52
Implementation in Brazilian cities..........................................................................................................52
Problems................................................................................................................................................54
Lefevbres Understanding.......................................................................................................................54
Initiatives...............................................................................................................................................55
Lecture 8 Just Planning..............................................................................................................................55
Debate...................................................................................................................................................56
Equality in concern of............................................................................................................................56
Fair inequality: the two Rawlsian principles of justice...........................................................................57
4
, Capability approach by Sen....................................................................................................................58
Variables of justice.................................................................................................................................59
Justice for whom?..................................................................................................................................60
Lecture 9 An ordinary week of a strategic planner....................................................................................61
Knowledge in Planning...........................................................................................................................61
Uncertainty in Planning.........................................................................................................................63
Categorization of Planning problems and corresponding theories....................................................63
Implications for practice....................................................................................................................64
Article List..................................................................................................................................................64
Lecture 0
Fainstein, Susan and James Defilippis. 2016. Introduction: The structure
and debates of planning theory. In: Fainstein, Susan and James
Defilippis (Eds) Readings in Planning Theory: Fourth Edition, Wiley, pp.
1-18
Problems of defining planning theory
p. 1-2
points of definition:
a) the object of producing and regulation the relations of peoples and structures in space
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,b) the method of decision making in spatial development → different questions and priorities
mostly explanatory by those analyzing practices
normative by those wanting to transform practices
→ different goals
involved and connected groups are fuzzy
transdisciplinary field with unclear boundaries due to elements/methodologies from different
fields
theoretical base must come from shared interest in space, place, civic community, and
pragmatic in its professional orientation
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?
→ normative, long-term
Why do planning theory?
p.2
disconnected relationship between theory and practice due to the gap between
theorists and practitioners
→ leads to intuition and instinct based decision making of what is right (not systematic
improvement)
→ referring to a theory is an important possibility to reflect the own approach and have
a proper exchange on ideas and the creative process
decrease gap with transdisciplinary working in talking to each other
Approach to planning theory
p. 2-3
situate planning theory at the intersection of political economy, history, philosophy (a outcome
of historical, political, economic forces and those who struggle against them) and city in a
region (not a closed system, exogenous forces)
Debate History
p. 4-5
late 1800s formative years with E. Howard, P. Geddes, D. shift of planning from ends
6
, to WW1 Burnham due to the industrial city inducing texts and focused individual visions
programs (City Beautiful, redevelopment of Paris, . . ) (one-man projects)
1920- institutionalization, professionalization, self- to "objective", regulated
1945 recognition, and regional as national planning efforts process focused experts
(technocracy)
1945- standardization, crisis, diversification to open processes including
1975 civilians to reach a consensus
in equity planning and a
desired outcome (advocate
planning
1975- redefinition in relation to private sector, planner as to plans that benefit the least
present mediator, strategist, advocate in public-private advantaged the most to
relationships counter hierarchies in
resources and power (just city)
→ new critical, diverse perspectives of planning history emerged but are not as present
as standard texts
Why and when to intervene in course of things?
p. 6
duality of planning:
as a state-led/public activity vs. market is leitmotiv is not sharp defined (due to the embeddedness of
the market in legal framework by the state and state creating legal framework also adjusting to the
market)
legitimacy
planning as a supportive measure, applied when the market fails to support the market
vs. tool to limit and actively design to diminish unjust disadvantages in contrary to the
private sector
public private partnerships during urban renewal:
public borrow tools from private sector (sector planning place marketing) in
autonomous public authorities and urban development corporations
non-profit community development corporations (third sector) and housing associations
→ duality is not given
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, Critic: privatiziation reduces the the ability to plan for the benefit of the mass, results from
these depend on conflict, bargain and mobilization of political resources
timing
constraints
holistic planning and vision →← with polypol of power, knowledge, resources, and
responsibilities divided between a multitude of actors
→ proliferation of neo-liberal public-private to ease proactiveness
→ limitation for planners to shape developments and scope of imagined possibilities
values
code of ethics in many countries in the public departments
codes do not always apply to public-private partnerships
→ why should private entities serve interests others than their own or who they are
owned by?
individual values based on planning schools, home communities
→ influence estimations and goals for future that is uncertain even based on empirical
data in different sectors surpassing technical issues
application of utilitarianism with weakness of distribution issues and those most
disadvantaged as an "expert"
public interest
AICP “our primary obligation is to serve the public interest.”
No unified entity of public interest
values that planners hold dear: equal protection and equal opportunity, public space,
and a sense of civic community and social responsibility
→ belief in public interest
Planners negotiating a kind of multicultural, technically informed pluralism
Sandercock: transformative possibility of dialogue in allowing different groups to occupy
and collectively govern shared space
a lot of challenges: sustainability, new data methods, informality
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