Planning Education as a Vocation

Abstract

As the field of planning education evolves, it is becoming increasingly self-organizing and coherent. Espe cially with the rise of Ph.D. pro grams that supply an increasing number of new faculty for profes sional teaching programs, the idea of teaching planning as a profession or vocation in itself has gained legiti macy. The number of schools is now sufficient for a real dialog among teachers of planning about what and how to teach. This process is rein forced by the growth of ACSP as a forum for interaction and guidance of teaching in the field. Nonetheless, planning will remain a complex field that seeks to mediate between com munity and technical rationality. In this process, the higher meaning of vocation should not be lost.