Urban Planning and Politics

In this decade of widespread public distrust of both government and big business, planning is often viewed as a process abused by the elite to pursue their own selfish ends at the expense of ordinary citizens. This book shows citizens, professionals, and students how planning can and does serve the public interest.

Politics, planning, and justice: Johnson investigates these three basic concepts and shows how each interacts with the others. This book introduces the players—private citizens, public officials, business people, and nonprofit institutions—that are involved in urban planning today. By demonstrating the role of each group, Johnson reveals how they influence, and are influenced by, the planning machine. He explains common tools and procedures planners use, and explores several areas of special interest to the profession, such as housing, economic development, transportation, and the urban environment. Johnson uses four detailed case studies that elucidate basic concepts for beginning students as well as specfic policies for experienced professionals.

Educators will find this a valuable guide for teaching the basics of planning. Johnson includes questions for review and discussion, an annotated list of 25 supplementary case studies, a comprehensive glossary of planning terms, and a brief essay on how to research and write case histories of planning.