This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the evolving field of international planning studies. It is an essential resource that situates planning as an international discipline and practice with an important role to play in delivering sustainable development across different scales in diverse global contexts. A series of chapters covers past episodes of international influence and exchange in planning, key concepts, research strategies, methods in contemporary international planning studies, as well as ways of characterising and comparing planning systems.
The authors explore the emergence of a global agenda for planning, through the activities and goal setting of international organisations, and professional and civil society networks. Transnational and cross-border contexts and initiatives in different global regions, and their relevance to planning, are investigated. An invaluable resource for students and researchers in planning studies, this book offers an important reflection on the internationalisation of planning practice, education, and scholarship, and the future prospects for planning and planning studies from an international perspective.
Author(s): Olivier Sykes, David Shaw, Brian Webb
Series: Planning, Environment, Cities
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 289
City: Singapore
Preface
Praise for International Planning Studies
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Boxes
1: Introduction
An International Context for Planning in the ‘Urban Century’
Planning as a Response to Urban Transformations Yesterday and Today
Has Planning’s Time Come Again?
Planning in an International Context
What Are International Planning Studies?
Talking About Different Kinds of Countries, States, and Parts of the World: A Note on Terminology and Evolving Assumptions
The Goals and Structure of the Book
References
2: The Historical Dimension in International Planning Studies
Introduction
Why Is History Important to International Planning Studies?
The Historical Transfer of Ideas
Colonialism, Post-colonialism, and Neo-colonialism
The Growth and Spread of Planning in the Industrial and Modern Era
The Circulation of Planning Ideas in More Recent History
Are There Lessons from Past Episodes of Planning for the Contemporary Internationalisation of Planning?
Summary
References
3: Contemporary Contexts and Concepts in International Planning Studies
Introduction
Planning Theory and Knowledge for International Planning Studies
Key Contextual Themes
Globalisation and Planetary Urbanisation
Climate Emergency, Sustainability, and Resilience
Internationalisation v. Internationalism?
Scale, Territoriality, and Spatial Imaginaries
Scales of Planning
Territoriality
Spatial Imaginaries
Law, Administration, and Politics
Planning and the Law
Planning, Politics, and the State
Formality and Informality in Planning
The Influence of International Contexts and Trends on Planning
Drivers of Convergence
Drivers of Constancy or Divergence
Summary
References
4: Research Design and Methods for International Planning Studies
Introduction
Research Design and Research Methods
Is There Anything Distinctive About Research Design and Methods for International Planning Studies?
Research Design for International Planning Studies: Some Things to Consider
Will the Study Be Comparative?
How Will the Study Be Conceptualised and Contextualised?
How Can the Study Focus and Questions Be Defined?
Will the Study Design Be Symmetrical?
How Will Language Issues Be Considered in the Study?
How Far Will the Formal, Informal, and Cultural Aspects of Planning Be Considered?
Will Planning Be Considered as a Static or Dynamic and Evolving Phenomenon?
Will the Study Be Sensitive to the Multi-scalar Nature of Planning Issues and Practices?
Is There Value in Using Cases in the Study?
Methods for International Planning Studies
Official Statistics
Documentary Analysis
Data from People: Interviews and Questionnaires
Observation and Ethnography
Triangulation and Mixed Methods
Research Ethics for International Planning Studies
Summary
References
5: Characterising Planning Systems
Introduction
Planning Systems
Characterising Planning Systems
Eight Themes of Analysis to Characterise Planning Systems
The Administrative and Legal Context
The Scope of Planning and the Planning System
The Balance of Competences and Power Between Central and Local Government
The Extent and Type of Planning at National, Regional, and Local Levels
Stakeholders in the Planning System
Regulatory, Discretionary, and Hybrid Planning Systems
Capacity of the Planning System and Its Ability to Meet Its Expressed Planning Objectives and Outcomes
Formality and Informality in Planning
Summary
References
6: A Global Agenda for Planning
Introduction: Planning ‘Above and Beyond’ the State (1)
International Planning Doctrines and Goals: An Old Story?
The Emergence of a Global Agenda for Planning
From Post-war Reconstruction to Development Aid
The Rise of the International Sustainability Agenda
An Evolving Place for Planning in the Sustainability Agenda
Global Environmental Challenges and Planning
Other Global Contexts for Planning
Reflecting on the Global Agenda for Planning and Its Impact
Towards a New Global Planning Doctrine?
With What Impact?
Monitoring and Follow-Up: Collecting Data and/or ‘Shaping Minds’?
Summary
References
7: Cross-Border Planning, Transnational, and Supranational Planning Contexts
Introduction: Planning ‘Above and Beyond’ the State (2)
Cross-Border Planning
What Are Borders and Why Do They Matter to Planning?
Differing Geopolitical and Governance Contexts for Cross-Border Planning
Informal Cross-Border Cooperation in North America
Cross-Border Metropolitan Planning in a Supportive Context: The Lille—Kortrijk–Tournai Eurometropolis
Cross-Border Cooperation on the Island of Ireland: Addressing the Uncertain Impacts of Rebordering
Conservation Across Borders: The Case of the Sengwe-Tshipise Wilderness Corridor
Transnational Regionalism and Planning
A Distinctive Case of Supranationalism and Planning: The European Union
Developing an Urban Agenda in the ASEAN Region
Other Transnational Settings for Planning
China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative
Transnational Development Corridors and Gateways
Summary
References
8: Planning as an International Discipline
Introduction
An International Context for the Planning Profession
What Is a Profession?
Ethics and Professionalism in an International Context
Reflective International Planning Practice
An International Context for Planning Education
Internationalisation and (or Versus?) Internationalism in Higher Education
Planning Education: Universal or Context Specific?
The ‘One-World’ Model of Planning Education
Decolonising the Planning Curriculum
An International Context for Planning Research
What Is ‘International’ Planning Research?
Planning Research and the International ‘Theory-Practice Gap’: Meeting the Challenge of Relevance
Rethinking Planning in Light of International Contexts and Experiences
Summary
References
9: Conclusion
Introduction
International Planning Studies?
Why Undertake International Planning Studies?
What Are the Opportunities and Challenges of International Planning Studies?
If Context Is So Important Are There Any Universal or Transferable Lessons That Can Be Derived from International Planning Studies?
Is There a Theory–Practice Gap in International Planning Studies?
The Contemporary Context for International Planning Studies
The Prospects for Planning and International Planning Studies
References
Index
