Linking Planning Theory and History: The Case of Development Control

Abstract

As a source of collective identity, planning history is valuable for purposes of professional socialization. But it can also provide insights into current dilemmas of planning practice as it explains the origins of institutions and techniques and documents the concerns of planners in earlier generations. This paper highlights the relevance of historical writings, by planning pioneers and by historians, to contemporary planning theory by analyzing how planning pioneers framed public problems and professional discretion in early development regulation. A case-study on the adoption of housing laws in late 19th-century New York City illustrates the benefits that planning theorists, including those working in a communicative perspective, can derive from historical research.