Framing Cultures of Spatial Planning

Abstract

If one compares different advanced systems of spatial planning, it is surprising that even similar systems show rather different results. This raises the question of what causes these differences. One obvious hypothesis is that in addition to the similarities between planning systems, a number of different 'soft' cultural factors also play a crucial role. Starting from this hypothesis and using an actor-centered approach the article suggests the use of frame analysis as a suitable tool for investigating these 'soft' cultural aspects of spatial planning. The main objective of such an investigation is not to develop a prescriptive method for spatial planning itself, but rather to gain a social scientific understanding of the structure and the dynamics of the framing process, which could then serve as an inspirational basis for developing diverse practical schemes of spatial planning. It is argued that culture plays an important role in spatial planning and that the role of culture can be addressed with an actor-centered approach. The article gives a short overview of the development of different forms of frame-analysis in social sciences and policy research. The concluding section argues that an analysis of cultural frames in spatial planning is richer and carries more potential than other approaches, for example, the more traditional and usual actor analysis or discourse analysis.

Planning Cultures in Transition: Sustainability Management and Institutional Change in Spatial Planning

“…He goes on to argue that all planning "takes place within a specific institutional context, or often in sets of different and varying "nested" institutional contexts as indeed do all societal activities" ( [31], p. 210). The "institutional embeddedness" of spatial planning endeavors has been acknowledged by many scholars [31][32][33][34]. Nevertheless, the institutional perspective on spatial planning often results in focusing on "planning technologies", i.e., the organizational and institutional structures of spatial planning, such as planning law, administrative structures, procedures and instruments.…”

“…With institutional stability dissolving, planners need to readjust their planning technologies, as well as their basic cognitive frames, "circumscribed as culturally determined frameworks, perspectives, systems of meaning, paradigms or positions from which the actor or a group of actors order social reality and make sense of his or her actions" ( [34], p. 93). Planners are more willing to experiment with new rationales, procedures and instruments, testing new planning technologies in new strategic alliances and networks (phase II).…”

Managing urban riverscapes: towards a cultural perspective of land and water governance

“…(p. 4) So, the cultural perspective is about a society's cultural imprint, meaning the cultural behaviour of all involved actors, different cultural techniques, cultural attitudes and their interaction with each other. In the literature, planning culture is often used with terms like cultural framing (Ernste, 2012), as culturized planning practice (Othengrafen 2010) or planning culture as an underlying concept expressing the practice of planners (Reimer & Blotevogel, 2012, p. 14). Consequently, 'Planning systems and planning practice are part of the culture of a society' (Nuissl, 2008) and the other way round, planning processes produce, develop and maintain the culture of a society by the way in which cities are designed, developed and influenced.…”

“…The planning context is the central point of departure for actors in the planning processes and their perceptions, interpretations, judgments and actions. For a further analysis of this part of planning culture, compare the already established system-related analysis in spatial planning, where numerous elements of scope are already discussed (Ernste, 2012;Othengrafen, 2012;Reimer & Blotevogel, 2012). Organizational cultures involve all individuals and groups acting on the local, regional or national level.…”

Framing coastal squeeze: understanding the integration of mega-nourishment schemes into the Dutch coastal management repertoire : an interpretive analysis of coastal management processes

“…Research papers using the concept can be found in international relations (Schatz and Levine 2010), sociology (Young 2010), spatial planning (Ernste 2012), media and communication studies (Scheufele 1999, Snow, Vliegenthart, and Corrigall-Brown 2007, and many subfields of policy studies (Candel et al 2014, Klüver and Mahoney 2015, Scholten and Van Nispen 2008. Framing has also received enthusiastic attention in the field of interpretive policy analysis (Straus 2010, Van Gorp 2007, Van Hulst and Yanow 2014.…”