POLITICAL PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION
"Planning is politics, and planners who think its outside of politics give even more power to those politicians and planners who recognize that planning is political" (p. 6).
Davidoff (1971) Community planning and the advocate in the suburbs. Planning Comment 7(1): 1-13.
"I do not see how any advance in a reasonable explanation of political life can be made in our time without this kind of humble turning to a first-hand observation of government in action, of the functions which people perform collectively through its use, of how they are best organized throughout the community. A theory of public administration means in our time a theory of politics also" (p. 167-168).
Gaus, J. (1950) Trends in the theory of public administration. Public Administration Review 10(3): 161-168.
"We believe political education is inadequate across the board."
American Political Science Assoc. (1989) Task Force on Civic Education in the 21st Century.
Davidoff (1971) Community planning and the advocate in the suburbs. Planning Comment 7(1): 1-13.
"I do not see how any advance in a reasonable explanation of political life can be made in our time without this kind of humble turning to a first-hand observation of government in action, of the functions which people perform collectively through its use, of how they are best organized throughout the community. A theory of public administration means in our time a theory of politics also" (p. 167-168).
Gaus, J. (1950) Trends in the theory of public administration. Public Administration Review 10(3): 161-168.
"We believe political education is inadequate across the board."
American Political Science Assoc. (1989) Task Force on Civic Education in the 21st Century.
I am engaged in an exploration of the nexus of planning, public administration, and politics. My research agenda includes an investigation of the characteristics of planning, broadly conceived, through the analytical lenses of political economy, political campaigning, and governance, for purposes of developing a better understanding of what planning IS. I've recently published an op-ed in the American Planning Association's practice-focused Planning Magazine (below) that argues the broadly conceived planning is better understood as the motive and means for evidence-based governing and that planning education and practice should respond to this understanding by conceiving of electoral politics as part and parcel of planning practice - and educating would-be planners accordingly.
| july_2019_viewpoint.pdf |
Political Planning and Administration are predicated upon the goals of improving environmental, economic, and social justice and equity for all, most especially disadvantaged and disenfranchised populations in urban environments. These would entail purposeful recruitment of historically disadvantaged and disenfranchised community members into these educational programs. Such a political practice would operate in concert with traditional practice to improve the chances of enacting these normative goals.
This would be accomplished first by creating space in planning or public administration education programs to offer certificates and/or concentrations that add to traditional applied sciences education the necessary instruction and training for so-inclined students to pursue and hold elected office. Second, the engagement in political campaigns would then serve to produce public participation in the debate about various policies and plans to address social conditions as envisioned by advocacy planning, the newer theories of 'just' planning, and new public administration. Third, if successful, the new-found power held by elected planners and administrators would provide the necessary political will to enact policies and implement plans more attuned to egalitarian notions of the public good than has been historically realized.
This would be accomplished first by creating space in planning or public administration education programs to offer certificates and/or concentrations that add to traditional applied sciences education the necessary instruction and training for so-inclined students to pursue and hold elected office. Second, the engagement in political campaigns would then serve to produce public participation in the debate about various policies and plans to address social conditions as envisioned by advocacy planning, the newer theories of 'just' planning, and new public administration. Third, if successful, the new-found power held by elected planners and administrators would provide the necessary political will to enact policies and implement plans more attuned to egalitarian notions of the public good than has been historically realized.