Planning Theory

Theory and practice in city planning have not been known to be compatible. The stress on the planner, dealing with the personalities at work in a board meeting, the realities of coping with fund raising, of political realities and the like, can find little guidance in the theory of the trade. The issues of poverty groups, whether rural or urban, the provision of services, and the packaging of them are seemingly insuperable. The sheer frustration in the inability to deliver, which so many planners feel, makes for a vast impatience and a questioning of the relevance of theory.

The editors argue that this state of affairs is understandable, but it cannot be accepted. While short range meliorism without sense of perspective may be good for the practitioner's individual psyche, the cost may be borne by the long-run best interests of the groups to be served. The risks of a lack of perspective and the experiences generated by this phenomenon are too serious in their implications to permit the process to continue.

In this new age of anxiety it is essential for both planners and theorists to understand their roles as well as provide guidance in shaping them. Burchell and Sternlieb have thus gathered here a variety of individuals, all of whom in their separate and distinct fashions are seasoned, both in practice and in theory. The book as such is divided into five sections entitled Physical Planning in Change, Social Planning in Change, Public Policy Planning in Change, Economic Planning in Change, and a final section detailing the roles of planners and who they are. These papers, shared puzzlements, and insights will prove useful to all practitioners and theorists in the planning field.