Sharing SCARP Views on Planning: Past, Present and Future
At Wednesday’s noon hour seminar John Friedmann gave us a most stimulating and thought provoking presentation on his view of planning’s past, present and future. Drawing on his more than 60 years of experience in practicing and studying planning around the world he highlighted for us where he saw planners have come “from” and “to”. He then offered some ideas about the future of planning and their implications for planning education.
The discussion that followed began to bring out how views of planning’s past, present and future differ depending on whether you are an academic or practitioner; where and when you are looking at planning; and what subject area of planning you are considering. The diversity of perspectives on the rapidly expanding fields, disciplines and professions engaging in “planning” today, led to questions about what is and should be the identity and core of planning and its implications for planning education going forward.
John’s remarks are most timely as SCARP engages in discussion of potential new institutional homes for the School and refreshing the vision that will guide hiring of the next Director and new faculty members, and the strengthening of its masters and doctoral programs. It would be great if we could find ways to continue and advance the conversation that John began, bringing in faculty, students and practitioners who were not able to hear last Wednesday’s exchanges and bringing out the differing views on planning’s past, present and future and their implications for SCARP.
Thank you John.
Tony