Planning Behavior: Theories and Experiments

While ordinary people tend to make myopic, independent decisions, planners deal with linked decisions intentionally and act accordingly in space and time. Little has been said, however, about how these linked decisions should be made. This collection of essays extends the concepts derived from decision theory in order to explain planning phenomena, particularly planning behavior. The book contains work gathered over a period thirty years that covers micro-decision making and macro-plan making processes in the context of urban planning. It answers the questions of why urban containment policies fail in stopping urban sprawl, how land development decisions are analyzed, and, more fundamentally, why cities need plans. Through the lens of decision theory, this book provides a fresh look at how planners do and should behave in making and using plans in the face of urban complexity.