Futures Thinking in Planning Education and Research

Abstract

Planning is inherently about looking ahead. The future orientation entwined in the DNA of the discipline is crucial given the environmental, social and economic challenges confronted at the start of the 21^st century. Planning practice shows signs of responsiveness, but what about planning education? Academic discourse suggests concerns often lie elsewhere, with only tokenistic gazes to longer-term futures. The proposition explored in this paper is that the planning academy needs a ‘futures infusion’ to retain and strengthen its strategic relevance to policy making, respect and engagement from the community, and educational and societal obligations to graduates.

Keywords:

• Planning Education
• Planning Theory
• Futures Thinking
• Foresight
• Ethics
• Global Challenges
• Australia
• New Zealand

Acknowledgments

This paper is a written version of a keynote address given to the 3^rd World Planning Schools Congress held in Perth, Western Australia, in July 2011 on the theme ‘Planning's Future — Futures Planning: Planning in an Era of Global (Un)Certainty and Transformation’. I am grateful to Paul Maginn and members of the ANZAPS conference organising committee (Australian and New Zealand Association of Planning Schools) for the opportunity to explore this vital area in planning education. My thanks to Mark Tewdwr-Jones and Jung Won Sonn for facilitating a first presentation of my ideas in a departmental seminar at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London in March 2011. For assistance in the survey of planning educators and students, I acknowledge the assistance of Dave Hedgcock (Curtin University), Doug Baker (Queensland University of Technology), Michael Buxton and Robin Goodman (RMIT University), Caroline Miller (Massey University), Jo Rosier (University of the Sunshine Coast), Peter Williams (University of New South Wales), Stephen Wood (University of New England), Jon Kellett and Lou Wilson (University of South Australia), Claire Freeman (University of Otago) and Dory Reeves (University of Auckland). Credit to Andrew Tice for preparing Figures 1 and 3 at short notice. And thanks also to the anonymous referees, editor and editorial assistant of this journal in helping sharpen the focus and formatting of the paper.