The Art of Planning

This week’s reading was Practitioners and The Art of Planning. The author (Eugenie L. Birch) describes the relation between both art and science to the planning profession. Also, we learn that in 1917 the first American Institute of City Planning was founded. Starting with 24 original members, by 1938 it had grown to a modest 100 members. I had not known that the planning remained largely unofficial before this time.

Eugenie notes planning’s key aspects: Design, Craft & Presentation.

Also she writes that ‘one of the greatest challenges of any profession is defining the ‘’public interest,’’ or common well-being’. This may well be why it took until within the last 100 years to form a body that officially recognises planning as a profession. I guess the demand for it just wasn't there until heavy urbanisation started to kick in (eg. 1850-1910 North America).

There is an official planner’s book. Called the Green book (on planning), it’s been published every ten years since 1941 by the International City/County Management Association, it's like our own planning bible/dictionary and sets out new learnings with each successive edition.

I guess I can now see how planning was once left up to multi-professionals from other fields (such as the architect/artist types). But as the way human lives change, the educated professionals must adapt to the ever changing environments we create, and facilitate progress.