Compact, Diffuse, or Would-be Discipline?

Abstract

Some scholars maintain that academic planning has strayed from its technical and professional roots by becoming more aligned with the social sciences. Others suggest that the discipline has failed to develop a cogent identity. The authors evaluate these assertions by studying articles published in the Journal of the American Planning Association between 1963 and 2002. The authors' analysis confirms that academic planning has become more scientific with respect to intellectual contributions. However, it also indicates that the discipline is becoming more, rather than less, cohesive in terms of goals, methods, and standards for evaluation. These patterns suggest that planning is developing a distinct identity as it transforms from a “would-be” to a “diffuse” discipline.