Reviews of 1st edition:

...a major, carefully argued contribution, which should raise the discourse among planning theorists to a new level - a level reserved for a book that succeeds in the ambitious task of weaving together, into one fabric, theories of planning and theories in planning'. - Rachelle Alterman and Tamy Stav, Town Planning Review

'...[A] visionary and important work...' - A.McArthur, Planning and Design

'A brilliant exposition of the development of theoretical concepts of planning in the second half of the Twentieth century.' - A. Gilg, Perspectives in Rural Policy and Planning


Spatial and environmental planning is an essential feature of all but the very simplest of societies. Its form and role and the principles on which it should be based, however, have become increasingly controversial questions. In this important book Patsy Healey draws on a wide range of new thinking in social, political and spatial theory to provide a framework for planning which is rooted in the institutional realities of our increasingly fragmented societies but designed to foster communication and collaborative action. The second edition includes a major new chapter assessing recent developments in theory and practice.