The legacy of positivism and the emergence of interpretive tradition in spatial planning

Simin Davoudi (1)

1 IRES

This paper draws on the positivist and the interpretive traditions of conceptualising space, place and time to present a framework for exploring how spatiality and temporality is articulated and represented in spatial planning. The paper focuses on five key aspects of planning: conception of spatiality, spatial and scalar structuring, treatment of time and future, the use of evidence in plan making processes, and representation and visualisation. The ways in which the two traditions have influenced planning, particularly in the UK, are discussed and illustrated by historical and contemporary examples. The paper concludes that while the interpretive approach has influenced some aspects of contemporary planning practices, positivism has remained resilient and influential in planning.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Domaines: Science politique

Simin Davoudi. The legacy of positivism and the emergence of interpretive tradition in spatial planning. Regional Studies, 2011, pp.1. ⟨10.1080/00343404.2011.618120⟩. ⟨hal-00749640⟩