International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VI, June 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Theory of Planning: Comparison of Four Different Urban Development Approaches

Nikhil Ravindra

Urban Development, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany

Abstract: – The paper is a comparative or a summary study on four different urban development models or approaches used in current planning practices. A brief introduction is given about the differences between theory in planning and theory of planning with examples. Theory in planning is based on the content of planning; whereas, theory of planning covers the form, styles or approaches which goes into the overall planning. The four urban development styles or approaches mentioned are comprehensive planning, disjointed incrementalism, mixed scanning and communicative/cooperative planning. For each of the models, comparison has been made on the following aspects: mode of thinking required, role of the planners, type of plans produced, necessary resources and means; and their practical impacts. To better understand the various types, examples have been mentioned for each of the types. By doing so, the general pros and cons associated with each of the processes and their end resultsare highlighted.

Key Words: – planning theory, comprehensive planning, disjointed incrementalism, mixed scanning, communicative planning.

I. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Theory in Planning

Theory in Planning is substantive theory based on the “content” of planning (Faludi, 1973). Substantive theory has a firm basis in reality and considered meaningful or important. Contents are made up of scientific methods and concrete tools for designing policies. It is formulated based on systematic observation, experimentation and testing. Main objective is the improvement of political strategies validity in order to achieve long-term or overall aims. Since it is based on an interdisciplinary approach, a wide range expertise of specialists such as economists, sociologists, architects, planners etc are involved in the formulation process. The specialists are thus required to have expert knowledge in order to suggest or criticise strategies. Planners are thus involved with various aspects such as stakeholders and resources management influenced by political interests. Examples for substantive focus is an aggregative approach involving individual values or preferences. Application of such a utilitarianism theory could be for social welfare function and cost-benefit analysis (Alexander, 2002, p. 229).