There are as many definitions of planning as there are planners. The reason why there are so many definitions is that the activity of planning is so diverse.
The Australian Standard Classification of Occupations defines a regional and urban planner as a person who:
Develops and implements plans and policies for the controlled use of urban and rural lands and advises on economic, environmental and social needs of land area.
This Standard further identifies some of the activities that planners undertake:
- Compilation and analysis of data on legal, political, cultural, demographic, sociological, physical and environmental factors affecting land use
- Confers or liaises with a wide range of government bodies, interested stakeholders and the community
- Recommends measures to address land use, environmental, community, transport, housing and infrastructure issues
- Advises governments and other interested parties on urban, regional, environmental and resource management issues.
The Planning Institute of Australia describes planners as people who:
Guide and manage the way suburbs and regions develop, making sure that they are good places in which to live, work and play. Planners are involved in making decisions about land use proposals and other types of developments whilst balancing the needs of communities and the environment.
Academics have also offered definitions of planning including:
Planning is the process of preparing a set of decisions for action in the future, directed at achieving goals by preferable means (Dror, 1973, 330)
To plan, therefore, is to govern. Planning thus becomes the process through which society makes its decisions (Wildavsky 1973)
If we conceive of planning as a state activity involving simplification and control and if we think of planning as technical analysts providing quantitative justifications for action, then planning is, and must be, a science. On the other hand, if we wish to situate planning between the state and civil society, thereby mediating market-driven forces, or if we view planning as a catalyst for democratic deliberations and practical dialogue, a craft approach seems more appropriate… Planning, then, is a science and a craft. It is also an ideology and thus infused with prescriptive judgements and normative visions (Beauregard, 2001, p. 438)
If you would like to know more about choosing planning as a career choice, then go to "Planning as a career" page.
definitions of planning
