Urban planning methods

Urban planners rely on a broad toolkit spanning plan and policy making, city research and policy analysis, and today's practitioners must bend those tools to shifting conditions. This introductory textbook argues that conventional research techniques work best when paired with policy analysis, which gives a clearer picture of how planning actually unfolds.

The book explains each method along with the ideas and principles behind it. Its examples come from everyday planning work: gauging what residents need and want, drafting and carrying out plans and policies, and making calls on land use, population trends, jobs, housing and retail. Readers are also pointed to the specialist research literature and to case studies drawn from current planning practice.

First published in 1981.