TRACK 17: Ethics and Justice in Planning

 

Co-chairs: Simin Davoudi, Willem Buunk

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in research into normative and moral aspects of planning in both planning practice and theory. This includes concerns over justice and fairness as well as a number of other values such as aesthetics, safety, health and wellbeing. This track is open to papers that provide a deeper understanding of the wide range of ethical and moral dilemmas with which planning practice and theory are confronted.

The pursuit of justice is seen as central to the justification of political authority and political obligation. In this sense justice often has a legal connotation and is about how people are treated. Another meaning of justice is how society’s benefits and burdens are distributed and how this distribution is decided upon. In the past few decades planning theory has been largely preoccupied with just processes and appears to have paid less attention to just outcomes. We suggest that such dichotomous position is not helpful and instead planning theory and practice should embrace the concept of ‘just planning’ defined broadly in terms of distribution, participation, recognition, capability and responsibility, without subsuming any one of these into another. Despite the acknowledged significance of such inclusive understanding of justice, the bulk of justice studies continue to focus on distribution. We welcome papers that aim to fill the gap.

In addition to issues of justice and fairness, planning involves a number of other social, economic, cultural and environmental values.  The process through which these are defined, debated and prioritised is a contested one and riddled with complex power-knowledge relations. Planners in their daily practices and thoughts are immersed in a wide variety of moral concerns and values, some of which become overt while others remain implicit. Clearly articulating these normative issues is in itself a major challenge, but one that planners ought to aspire to.

In this track we welcome papers that critically engage with a) theoretical debate on ethics, justice and other moral concepts and normative value, b) provide practical examples of ‘(un)just’ or ‘good/bad’ approaches to spatial development and ‘(un)ethical’ practices in planning, or c) highlight methodological challenges of assessing claims of justice, ethics or other moral concerns. We welcome papers that address any of the above questions theoretically or empirically and challenge the taken for granted assumptions about ‘just planning’, ‘good’ planners, or ‘desirable’ outcomes of planning.    We look forward to receiving your papers and having stimulating discussions in Prague.