City Planning versus Urban Planning

Abstract

Planning as a profession in the United States has a bifurcated heritage of design-oriented physical planning and policy-oriented socioeconomic planning. This fundamental dichotomy continues to divide the profession into two distinct interests and two distinct approaches to urban issues, a tension that is especially problematic today, given the dominance of a design orientation in urban development and the dominance of a policy orientation in the planning profession. The author reviews this dual heritage and its underlying attitudes and concludes by making five recommendations that can assist the planning profession to recapture its unique role, to strengthen its ability to address contemporary urban issues, and to become a stronger player vis-à-vis architects and civil engineers in guiding the future of American cities.