Why theorisation in planning matters — and how to do it better

New Interface in Planning Theory & Practice examines why theorisation in planning matters — and how to do it better

Dealing with “Difficulties for Theorisation Within Planning Research and Practice — An Exploration of Key Dimensions of Planning Theories”, an interface edited by Meike Levin-Keitel (University of Vienna) and Franziska Sielker (TU Wien) has been published in Planning Theory & Practice.

This volume features contributions from leading scholars and practitioners who diagnose the limitations of current planning theory and propose new theoretical directions that are spatially attuned, normatively reflexive, and relevant to practice. The volume was developed by the international working group “Beyond the process – Finding common ground for a discussion on planning’s substantial foundation” of the ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association.

Key themes include:

• Reintegrating nuanced notions of space into planning theory
• Positioning planners and institutions as active subjects with agency
• Inserting collective futurology and backcasting into planning debates
• Making normative conflicts visible and negotiable
• Tools for bridging theory and practice

This Interface invites researchers, practitioners and policy-makers to re-engage with theorisation as a tool for better decisions and more sustainable spatial development. Full publication details are available in Planning Theory & Practice  https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2025.2550830

Thanks to all authors: Meike Levin-Keitel, Franziska Sielker, Lukas Nikolaus-Behrend, Peter Schmitt, Franziska Sielker, Martin Sondermann, Sara Özogul, Christopher Maidment, Raine Mäntysalo, Lukas Nikolaus-Behrend, Elisabeth Gruber, Christopher Maidment, Benjamin Davy, Agnes Förster, Edward Shepherd, Efrat Eizenberg, Tijana Dabovic, Raine Mäntysalo, Chris Webster and Viola Schulze Dieckhoff