Crisis in Planning Theory Is the Political a Way Out of the Impasse in Planning?

This chapter evaluates the existing paradigms and theories that are influential in the planning discipline and focuses, and critically evaluates, major strands within planning theory. It addresses the relevance of theory to the practice of planning under different regulatory regimes and presents the existing criticisms on contemporary planning practice with respect to the loss of ‘the political’ in planning, in reference to decision-making channels within democratic and legitimate processes. Consequently, it underlines a need to rethink the role of planning and introduces a discussion on the reconsideration of the political in planning. The last section of the chapter reviews the possible ways out of the present crisis in planning by taking a planning rather than the political stance that searches for the possible.