The course gives a broad introduction to planning theory and different ways of thinking about planning. It opens up questions of the societal roles of planning, the relations between planning and politics, who planning is thought to be for and what can be considered as ‘good’ planning. These are all questions of relevance for how one can understand the planning profession, the role of planning professionals, the craftsmanship of planning and planning ethics in the light of various theories.

The course covers leading planning thinkers and different schools of thought with a focus on planning ideas shaped in Western democracies. The course follows the trajectory of planning ideas through history with an emphasis on planning ideas and key debates of relevance today as the course attempts to integrate a spectrum of past and contemporary planning theories.

Knowledge / comprehension

• An outline of what the field of planning theory entails
• Recognize central schools of planning theory and their origins
• Identify of the rationales behind different theories of planning  
• Knowledge of how the planning profession and its challenges can be viewed differently

 Application / analysis

• Assign a role to planning theory in relation to planning practices
• Become more theoretically aware and reflective of how different norms and values are part of planning
• Relate the theories to planning challenges of today and different planning contexts

Synthesis / evaluation​

• Articulate arguments on how and why different theories of planning are relevant and/or problematic for planning practices
• Evaluate how different theoretical perspectives might relate and/or clash
• Position yourself in relation to planning theory with regards to what you conclude as contemporary issues of particular importance to planners

The learning activities are organized around thematic interactive seminars, held on a weekly basis. As a student you are expected to prepare for each seminar and to take an active role in the seminars. Part of the preparation is to work with texts and keep a reading log. The in-classroom activities are often carried out in groups and include discussions as well as lectures.

The workload of the course is fairly evenly distributed over the run of the course, to allow for the successive digestion and processing of the content.