CP6012 - History and Theory of Planning

Course Objectives

A central objective of this course is to assist the student in formulating and refining an individual world view of planning and its environment.  There exist many such views. Some are strongly held by many professionals, while others are more peripherally or dimly perceived. As actors in a pluralistic public policymaking process, we seek strategies that are relevant to the context, environment, and issues with which we are concerned and are within the bounds of social, professional, and moral responsibility. A comprehensive exposure to alternative views will help us select an appropriate planning strategy grounded in theory. 

The planner's role in society is complex. The management of urban growth, the alleviation of poverty, the protection of environmental values: all of these require a response in the midst of the dynamic interactions that occur in cities and regions. As planners, we will carry into our professional activities a sense of these dynamics and the appropriate role that planners should play in addressing them. We make these choices as individual planners working within a profession with some shared perspectives. 

This course seeks to examine contemporary debates over the role and function of planning and the implications of these debates for planning practice, and to analyze the role and effectiveness of planning in resolving contemporary urban problems. While our focus is on preparing ourselves for contemporary practice, we are cognizant of planners who over time have grappled with similar problems, and who have responded in a variety of ways. We will therefore examine the current debate in light of the evolution of planning ideas, as well as the historic intellectual and contextual forces that shaped the profession over time. We will pay special attention to the emergence of these ideas in response to changing conceptions of politics and governance, and the implications such evolving conceptions have on planning practice today. 

Given the gaps between explanatory and normative concepts underlying urban planning and the radical changes in the U.S., as well as global economies, political systems, and information technologies, many subject areas must be considered experimentally. Thus, no amount of literature in a course such as this will fully circumscribe all the nuances and subtleties of these dynamic relationships. Consequently, students will be expected to bring to the discussion any additional material and perspectives that can enrich our understanding of planning theory and practice. 

Grading

25%     Student preparation for and participation in seminars, and completion of student evaluations

50%     Two papers and outline (5% for the outline, 20% for first paper, 25% for second paper)

25%     Final examination

Texts

Scott Campbell and Susan Fainstein, eds. Readings in Planning Theory, Second Edition. Malden, MA and Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers, 2003. 

Donald A. Krueckeberg, ed. The American Planner: Biographies and Recollections. New Brunswick: Center for Urban Policy and Research, 1994.

Larry Keating. Atlanta: Race, Class and Urban Expansion. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001.

Course Themes

• The Impacts of Planning History and Theory on Professional Practice

• History of Planning and Political Institutions

• Comprehensiveness, Science, Rationalism, and Planning

• Interaction, Social Learning and Participation

• Political Theory and the Role of Planning