If geography is anything, maybe it's planning's alter ego? Reflections on policy relevance in two disciplines concerned with place and space

Abstract

In this paper we consider the relationship between geography and planning. The apparent distance between the two disciplines that presently exists makes such a review timely. We argue that geography and planning have more in common than is often recognised. We also consider and identify what the two disciplines can learn from each other. It is commonly recognised that planning can learn something of the art of the analytical from geography – that geographical perspectives can lend analytical insight to planning thought and practice. In light of recent concerns over the relevance of geography, we highlight in particular what geography can learn from planning. Here, it is less commonly recognised that geography can learn something of the art of persuasion from planning – a sense of the necessary imperfections and limitations that attend interventions in society.