Plan vs Project Dilemma Revisited: A Progress Review of Urban and Regional Studies Literature

Abstract

The plan vs project dilemma is a starting discussion point in classic urban and regional studies in which key planning ideas originate from plans, projects, or both. Urban and regional studies are characterised by paradigms that pose or reconcile the plan vs dilemma, a durable dualism which is at the kernel of planning knowledge and action. The paradigm shift from plan to project provides an impetus to reconsider the dualistic relation between plan and project in a progress review of planning literature from the classics to a flurry of recent empirical studies of major projects and ‘strategic’ spatial plans. The paper concludes with urban and regional studies that point towards expansive concepts that carefully regard the wider sectoral, spatial, institutional and environmental contexts of projects in an integrated development framework that parallels strategic spatial and comprehensive plans.

Integrating environmental sustainability into strategic spatial planning: the importance of management

“…Strategic spatial planning is visionary and integrates different policy agendas, activities and actors (Banai 2013;Tewdwr-Jones, Gallent, and Morphet 2013), which leverages the demand for organisational strategies and hence management procedures. Integrating environmental sustainability into planning is complex; however, experiences from Swedish local authorities show the potential in having a stepwise approach to integration through organisational maturity (Emilsson and Hjelm 2009).…”

Public accountability in planning for new housing areas

“…The difference between performing and conforming planning systems is thus more complex than it may appear at first glance. Below, the concepts of performance against conformity have been framed to analyse the relationship between strategic plans and more operational plans when it comes to the development of a new housing area (Banai, 2013;Faludi, 2000) (Table 2).…”

Reflections on the Three Schools of Thought on Strategic Spatial Planning

“…This has displaced some inherent dichotomies that are described by Campbell (1996) as the contradictions of sustainable development into the planning arena. The principle of stakeholder involvement has incorporated debates around ''inclusivity'' versus ''efficiency'' (Healey 1997;Faludi and Valk 1994;Gallent, Hamiduddin, and Madeddu 2013); policy integration has faced questions about a ''broad-ranging'' or ''selective'' approach (Albrechts 2004(Albrechts , 2006b; and the focus on implementation has highlighted the issue of ''plan'' versus ''project'' (Neuman 1998;Banai 2013).…”