Planning Imagination and the Future

Abstract

Research evidence from cognitive science documents how everyday thought actively composes imaginary blends of possible actions. These include plans that inform intentions and infer meaning about causes, norms, and effects. Recognizing the pragmatic functional features of imagination can help scholars and professional planners better understand their own practice. I explore how this evidence supports the insights of scholars like Myers and Forester who study what planners do and how plans work. Planning educators should treat spatial planning as more craft than science, more practical than precise, and more collaborative than solitary.