Sector knowledge: Planning Theory & Practice

Journal Summary: Planning Theory & Practice provides an international focus for the development of theory and practice in spatial planning and a forum to promote the policy dimensions of space and place. The journal aims to challenge theory and change practice and is distinctive in its commitment to publishing content which combines intellectual rigour with practical impact.
The journal’s innovative Interface section adopts an original approach to stimulating critical and challenging debate through academic publishing. This includes promoting dialogue between the academic and practitioner communities, encouraging analytical reflection on practice and practical engagement with theory. Each issue of Interface offers a multifaceted investigation of a topical theme, in the form of a series of contributions reflecting on an issue from different perspectives. The journal’s Comments and Reviews section comprises Policy & Planning Briefs, which provide critical insights into key policy developments and analysis of spatial plans, Book Reviews, and Comments on a current issue and rejoinders to articles previously published.The journal is co-owned by the Royal Town Planning Institute and Taylor & Francis.

The range of Planning Theory & Practice includes:
• Developing the theoretical and methodological foundations of planning theory and practice, as well as urban studies more generally;
• Developing the contributions of the planning field to social science, both analytically and normatively;
• Exploring the relationship between theory and practice, including reviews which examine emergent practices and interpret them in the light of current intellectual debates;
• Challenging the impact of intellectual ideas through critical reflection and review;
• Examining policy development in particular fields such as housing, regeneration, transport, urban design, participatory practice, diversity and climate change.

Publisher:  Routledge

Website: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rptp20/current

Access: Subscription; some open access

Journal Type: Academic peer reviewed

Sector knowledge: Planning Theory

Journal Summary: Planning Theory is an international peer-reviewed forum for the critical exploration of planning theory. The journal covers the latest debates and developments within the field. A core publication for planning theorists, the journal will also be of considerable interest to scholars of human geography, public administration, administrative science, sociology and anthropology. There exists a broad range of views about what planning theory is and could, or should, be. This reflects an equally diverse range of views about the processes and products of planning as practised in different parts of the world. One of the roles of Planning Theory as a journal is to work through the agreements and tensions between views by publishing quality papers presenting, for instance, strong theoretical arguments, innovative ways of thinking, new ways of applying theory and so on.

At the core of planning is a concern with space and with ethical judgments that may affect immediate as well as trans-generational temporal scales. Sources of planning theories are eclectic and diverse, drawing on disciplines and concerns that range from philosophy, architecture, post-colonial studies and law to the social sciences and design practices. The journal encourages a critical exploration of planning paradigms and ideas that reflect on major planning issues such as social conflict, urbanisation, notions of informality and environmental change. Especially welcome are contributions that clarify or critique current planning theories or introduce disciplinary, cultural, moral or methodological concepts that advance theoretical debates about planning.

Publisher: Sage

Website: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/plt

Access: Subscription; some open access

Journal Type: Academic peer reviewed