Spatial planning as expression of culturised planning practices: The examples of Helsinki, Finland and Athens, Greece

Spatial planning is a multifaceted and highly complex activity, embedded in specific cultural contexts composed of interactive processes among involved actors, their cultural cognitive frames and their particular social contexts. In light of this knowledge and understanding, a 'culturised planning model' is developed for the systematic analysis of the impact of culture on spatial planning practices. The model derives from studies in the field of cultural and organisational theories and consists of the three dimensions (i) 'planning artefacts', (ii) 'planning environment', and (iii) 'societal environment'. Two case studies are used to demonstrate how the model can contribute to a better understanding of the interrelations between cultural contexts on the one side and spatial planning as an operative instrument of territorial policy on the other.