2014/12/23 by Andrew H. Whittemore · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Urban Planning and Governance #Urbanization and City Planning #Rural development and sustainability
paper · doi:10.1177/0739456x14563144
openalex publication_date 2014/12/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/23
Many scholars have voiced frustration with planning theory’s marginalization. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the relevance of theory to practice by exploring what practitioners have theorized. It reviews the development of procedural theories of city planning from 1959 until 1983, and juxtaposes this review with a survey of theory-articulating literature in U.S. trade journals. The article concludes that practitioners value theorizing, that practitioners’ theories mirror academics’ theories, and that practitioners maintained diverse theories of planning rather than pursuing a single theory of planning. These findings can remind the reader of how planning theory speaks to professional experience.