Doing the ‘Impossible’: Notes for a General Theory of Planning

E R Alexander
Additional contact information
E R Alexander: Public Policy Program, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, PO Box 39040, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel

Environment and Planning B, 1998, vol. 25, issue 5, 667-680

Abstract: If a ‘general theory of planning’ is impossible, a contingent framework is proposed to integrate prevailing and emergent planning paradigms which present four different views of planning: deliberative rationality, communicative practice, coordinative planning, and frame setting. These are not mutually exclusive but are complementary aspects of a contingent and dynamic planning process. Rationality is invoked in deliberative problem solving by individuals or quasi-individuals, whose interaction takes the form of communicative practice. Coordinative planning represents interaction between organizations, whereas the domain of planning as frame setting is the community. This contingent framework also subsumes descriptive and normative planning models, which are reviewed and illustrated.

Date: 1998
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/b250667 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envirb:v:25:y:1998:i:5:p:667-680

DOI: 10.1068/b250667

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Environment and Planning B
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().