Planning and its Orientation to the Future

Planning is often described as a future-oriented activity. However, little attention has been given to the relationship between planning and its orientation to the future. This article explores this relationship from a socio-historical perspective by examining the emergence of planning as a social phenomenon in relation to society's break from a traditional to a modern experience of the future. Discussion centres on how planning functions as society's way of ‘normalising’ the future, of making decisions about the future a normal part of everyday life. This function is discussed in both a modern and ‘post’ modern context.