Understanding innovation in planning

What is it about?

Planning as a disciple is often characterised as being technocratic and incapable of innovation. This paper uses a number of innovative planning case studies to unpick what innovation is in a planning context. To do this the paper first sets out more mainstream discourses of innovation and why they are not necessarily sufficient to explain innovation in planning. An alternative framework for innovation is therefore provided to argue that planning can be just as innovative as other areas of the economy. Finally the paper uses the framework to explore a number of innovative planning case studies.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The paper expands the growing literature on innovation. It develops an understanding of planning innovation using and building on existing discourses of innovation I.e. classical innovation theory and more recent understandings of social and public innovation