The planning profession in light of being divided between physical planning and socioeconomic planning

Paul Gleye, "City Planning versus Urban Planning: Resolving a Profession's Bifurcated Heritage," Journal of Planning Literature 30 (2014): 1

The take-away: This article’s five recommendations for the planning profession are as follows: 1) that “a recommitment to long-term thinking and long-term action” is essential; 2) that, “since planning must […] address the short term as well as the long term, planners should place an intense focus on implementation in addition to that long-term vision”; 3) “for the planning profession to more effectively employ its close ties to the social sciences by taking the lead in evaluating solutions—design and otherwise—to test how well they meet human needs”; 4) that “the APA as an organization should assert the importance of the designed environment in planning outcomes”; 5) and finally, that “the governing board of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, through the Planning Accreditation Board, should emphasize the importance of planning-oriented urban design and placemaking in planning education, even for nonspatial thinkers” (14).

Abstract: Planning as a profession in the United States has a bifurcated heritage of design-oriented physical planning and policy-oriented socioeconomic planning. This fundamental dichotomy continues to divide the profession into two distinct interests and two distinct approaches to urban issues, a tension that is especially problematic today, given the dominance of a design orientation in urban development and the dominance of a policy orientation in the planning profession. The author reviews this dual heritage and its underlying attitudes and concludes by making five recommendations that can assist the planning profession to recapture its unique role, to strengthen its ability to address contemporary urban issues, and to become a stronger player vis-à-vis architects and civil engineers in guiding the future of American cities.

Full article (requires access)