Senior Sequence

Leonie Sandercock

On Planning Theory and History:

My intellectual project for the past decade has been to diversify planning theory and history. In Towards Cosmopolis (1998) I used feminist, postmodern, and postcolonial theories to critique mainstream (modernist) planning theory and the 'official story' of planning history. In the edited collection, Making the Invisible Visible (1998), I go beyond critiquing the official story, and begin to explore insurgent planning histories, and the hidden or suppressed stories of marginalized social groups. I continue to be interested in theories of difference and their importance for planning practice. At the same time, I have tried to formulate a radical social project for planning, one that broadens the debate about what planning is, and who may be considered to be engaged in planning. One central question is how and why do cities change, And how might planning contribute to social transformation. Another question concerns the knowledge/power nexus, and who might be considered a 'knower', and what might be considered valid knowledge. A third challenge is how to democratise planning practices. Finally, I am currently engaged in an inquiry into the powers and limitations of story and storytelling in planning practice and scholarship. http://www.scarp.ubc.ca/faculty%20profiles/sandercock.htm

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