Hudson, Barclay M. 1979. Comparison of current planning theories: Counterparts and contradictions. Journal of the American Planning Association 45: 387-398

10 important questions on Hudson, Barclay M. 1979. Comparison of current planning theories: Counterparts and contradictions. Journal of the American Planning Association 45: 387-398

What are the five different schools of planning discussed in the text by Hudson?

The five schools of planning discussed in the text are: Synoptic planning, Incremental planning, Transactive planning, Advocacy planning, and Radical planning.

What are the core principles of Synoptic planning, and what is its main advantage and disadvantage?

  • Core principles of Synoptic planning: Goal-setting, identification of policy alternatives, evaluation of means against ends, and policy implementation. It relies on conceptual or mathematical models, emphasizing quantitative analysis.
  • Advantage: Simplicity.
  • Disadvantages: Unrealistic, insensitive to institutional performance, reductionist, and biased towards central control.

What are the core principles of Incremental planning, and what are its main advantage and disadvantage?

  • Core principles of Incremental planning: Partisan mutual adjustment through dialogue and negotiation among plural interests.
  • Advantage: Effective in practice.
  • Disadvantage: Lack of empathy, closely aligned with individual self-interest.
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What are the core principles of Transactive planning, and what are its main advantage and disadvantage?

  • Core principles of Transactive planning: Focus on personal experiences and mutual learning through dialogue and negotiation among plural interests.
  • Advantage: Emphasizes personal and organizational development processes.
  • Disadvantage: Potential for clashes and time-consuming.

What are the core principles of Advocacy planning, and what are its main advantage and disadvantage?

  • Core principles of Advocacy planning: Defending the interests of the weak against strong community groups, based on conflict.
  • Advantage: Open negotiations and sensitivity to unintended side effects.
  • Disadvantage: May pose obstacles without effective support for constructive alternatives.

What are the two versions of Radical planning, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach?

Two versions of Radical planning: One emphasizes spontaneous activism and personal growth, while the other focuses on critical analysis of class structures and economic relationships.
  • Advantages: Idealistic and critical, but pragmatic in the first version. Focuses on critical analysis in the second version.
  • Disadvantages: Idealistic and primarily effective in conflict situations.

What is the central issue regarding the theory of the public interest discussed in the text, by Hudson?

The central issue is whether planning should provide a framework of objective decision rules (as in Synoptic planning) or aim for a more holistic context for judgment (as in Transactive and Radical planning).

What is the challenge regarding feasibility discussed in the text, and how do the different planning theories address it?

The challenge is translating complexity into simplicity without mistaking the model for reality. Synoptic planning simplifies through analytical techniques, while Incrementalism is closer to skilled entrepreneurs and politicians. Transactive and Radical planning have more difficulty with this challenge.

How do the different planning theories address the issue of action potential?

All five planning theories address the issue of action potential to some extent, but none fully succeed. Each theory has its own approach to this problem.

What is discussed regarding substantive theory and its relation to planning theories?

Substantive theory is typically left to secondary levels of specialization in specific sectors like education, housing, or land use regulation. Radical planning and, to a lesser extent, Transactive planning argue that no method is neutral in this regard.

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