Post 2

Reading How Plans Work, Lewis D. Hopkins

This week I found the reading to show a plan as being something that can be followed through with great structure and precision. I think this week has really reminded me of the responsibility of planners. The question what is a good plan? After going through all the criteria of agenda, policies, vision, design and strategy, is that enough to be a plan?

I think after reading this chapter it becomes clear that although there needs to be a basic framework it is not enough to ‘tick the boxes’. The plan may look grand on paper but how does it actually translate in the real world? Is it Cost? Was the outcome achieved ethically? When talking about ethical planning this presents a broad range of issues in relation to governments, clients, public/community interests, employers, professional integrity, intra-generational and intergenerational. The plan must be lawful and fit in to daily decision making and strategic planning.

From my understanding and observation, plans have to go through multiple legalities and bureaucracy to have one plan which may never be used. Even for the plans are used it is a lengthy process. Is the plan going to be effective by the time it goes through this process and actually becomes policy or will it become dated?

This framework is used to form the plan for developed countries such as the United States and Australia. This system works as it has shown in these countries at a relatively slow rate. Therefore I do not think this would be the best system implemented for developing countries as they need polices that are implemented and practiced in the now, which means cutting out much of the policy time.  

Post 1

From the reading this week I understood Planning to be equal in art and science. To truly understand planning it cannot be viewed with one perspective in mind and not the other.  

In the last 90 years there have been vast changes in the industry from what is expected of Planners and what society expects from the Planning profession. This is due to the rapid rate at which technological advancements have been implemented into the industry.  As the literature says Planning was not a straight degree it was mixed with Architecture or Landscape Architecture. I think this is a really important point to consider as it gives context as to how Planning originated and the ideologies at that time. I don’t think the planning profession was taken seriously in the past as it was newly forming in its most basic element. Planning started out as drawing and graphs. We see today that Planning has become a broad and specific profession. Today this industry cannot be ignored with pressing issues e.g. population growth and limited resources. I think that the government and society expects planners and the industry to clean up the mess of the past due to a lack of planning.

Planning has become a profession on its own separate from degrees such as Architecture and Design. Although this is true in theory I do believe that society does not recognise fully Planning as a profession in its own right.