SCIN 605 Planning Theory, Practice, and Ethics

Planning is an ill-defined field. Feinstein and Campbell give four reasons for the difficulty in defining the field, and thus, planning theory: the apparent overlap between the concerns of planning and those of many other social science disciplines; the fuzzy boundaries between planning and other related professions; disagreement as to whether the field should be defined by its object or by its method; and, finally, the fact that planning borrows methodologies from other fields. Given these characteristics of the field, this course is structured to discuss planning theory and its evolution and influence on practice. This course provides you in-depth understanding of the intellectual history, paradigmatic structure, and contemporary debates in the field of planning theory. The course reading materials, discussion sessions, case studies, assignments, and workshops are organized into two major parts. The first batch of sessions will chronologically (1) explain why planning is unique and different from other social science disciplines; (2) discuss the purpose of defining a body of thought as planning theory by explaining the character and object of theory in the literature; (3) discuss the evolution of planning by describing how different theories influenced planning scholarship and practice and how the integration of some of these traditions form the current theoretical framework that shapes contemporary planning as it is practiced today; and (4) discuss how the concept of sustainability can be considered a compelling normative position to organize and better delineate the central tasks for planning theory in city design, implementation processes, and decision making. The second batch of lectures, on the other hand, will (1) discuss the content/subjects of planning (physical planning) emphasizing sustainable urban form design and planning principles; (2) recognize and assess the suitability of universally acknowledged planning principles and interventions to UAE’s political and social norms (3) Introduce Abu Dhabi community facility codes, standards, and zoning strategies; and (4) discuss different approaches and policies in city planning through multiple case studies including: Portland, Chicago, Hamburg, Tokyo, Dubai, San Francisco etc.

Credits

3

Distribution

3-0-3

Offered

Spring