3. 1. Procedural planning theories –
theories of planning
Explain the procedures or process of planning and
planning organization.
Explain the methods/techniques in decision making.
4. 2. Substantive planning theories –
theories in planning
Relates to the subject matter in planning – urban
areas, city centre, environment, housing etc.
To give better understanding and an overview on the
scenario/phenomena/issues/problems to be dealt
with in planning.
Involves knowledge/inputs from various discipline
related to urban planning.
5. 3. Explanatory/empirical theories
Explain why a particular phenomena/issues/problems
exist/emerge – changes in urban structures,
economics, social and geography.
Explain and interprets reality and focuses on causal
relationships.
Hypotheses form part of empirical theory which allow it
to be tested and adjusted.
6. Originates from other disciplines such as economics,
social and politics.
How these phenomena/issues/problems is verified or
rejected empirically.
7. 4. Prescriptive /normative theories
Relates to the formulation of plans, proposals and
strategies to eradicate urban problems.
Gives an ideal situation/objectives/outcomes to solve
the urban problems.
How the world ought to be and provide ideas about
how to achieve this state.
8. Yiftachel identifies the activity of urban land-use
planning based on three major streams of thought.
1. The Analytical Debates.
2. The Urban Form Debates.
3. The Procedural Debates.
Yiftachel Framework
9. 1. Analytical Debates
What is urban planning?
Deals with the broad societal-political setting of
planning - its positions with the state apparatus and
its impacts on social relations.
10. Where the major goals and distributional effects of
planning are determined.
The socio-political role of land-use planning is the
centre of the analytical debate.
Early planners perceived their activity as an act of
universal reform.
11. Planning was “good for everyone”, rescuing ailing
industrial cities from chaos and decay.
Example: Marxist view the state as performing a dual
role of facilitating capital accumulation and of
legitimising the capitalist socioeconomic system.
Marxist interpret urban planning as an activity embedded
in the logic of capitalism.
12. Based on Marxist interpretation, urban planning is
redefine by other theorists as a reformist activity within
the constraints of the capitalist state.
The analytical debate examines the societal goals of
urban planning.
13. 2. Urban form debate
What is a good urban plan?
Operates on a broader professional level, where the
input of other professionals (economists,
geographers, sociologist and architects) is valuable.
14. Relates to the land use solutions to urban problems –
urban centralization, urban renewal etc.
Early formulations of urban form solutions to
metropolitan problems - garden city, neighborhood
concept.
15. Advocates the separations of incompatible land uses,
easy access to country areas for the urban residents,
and relatively small urban size.
Urban sustainability – environmental protection,
energy efficiency and urban consolidation.
The urban form debate analyse the actual physical
effects of planning goals and procedures.
16. 3. Procedural debate
What is a good planning process?
The translation of goals into plans is the domain of
the procedural debate.
Operates on a narrow professional level : maximising
the fit between ends and means, and is mainly
controlled by planners.
17. Deals with the decision making
methods/procedures/process.
Examples:
‘Survey Before Plan’ by Geddes.
Systems Approach of Planning by McLoughlin.
The procedural debate studies how best to
achieve the given goals.
18. Conclusion
To consider these debates as a planning theory, it
must be synthesised by planners into knowledge
specifically relevant to land control.
These theories would not be considered planning
theories unless they related to certain urban land
use plans.
20. Operational levels & theoretical characteristics
of the three debates of planning theory
A Simple Planning
Process
Level Of
Analysis
Theoretical
Debate
Dominant
Theoretical
Characteristics
Formulation of goals
Translation of goals
into plan
Analysis of plan
Broad
societal/political
Narrow
professional
Broad
professional
Analytical
Procedural
Urban form
Explanatory &
substantive
Prescriptive &
procedural
Prescriptive &
substantive
