Planning and Ideology

This article identifies some of the major themes or ideologies that dominate American planning as they are reflected in the variable meanings of some of its key terms, especially, the word “planning,” itself. It avers that these ideologies refer not only to the planning of cities and regions, but to the nation as a whole. It traces their origins to the societal crises such as culture conflict, war, and depression that have shaken American society in the course of the last century, or to periods of recovery from such crises. It shows how they have succeeded each other in time, so as to constitute more or less distinct eras of planning thought and practice. It also notes how the same ideologies confront each other in space resulting in severe land-use conflicts, especially at the edges of metropolitan areas. In the light of these ideologies, the article raises questions about the nature and future of the contemporary American planning profession.