Environmental ethics in the perception of urban planners: A case study of four city councils

Abstract

Urban planning plays a crucial role in rethinking the relationships between cities and ecosystems. Environmental ethics can provide a framework for rethinking these relationships. However, the integration of urban planning and environmental ethics in the literature has not been extensive. Their integration is crucial because city planning is influenced by the ethical perspectives of decision-makers. This article uses a case study methodology to explore whether and how environmental ethics informs urban planning. Urban planners from four Australian councils were interviewed. Thematic analysis of these in-depth interviews as well as of relevant planning documents for each council was conducted. The article focuses on the key finding that the perceptions of urban planners and planning processes were mainly driven by an anthropocentric rather than a non-anthropocentric environmental ethic. The article concludes by offering recommendations and a guide as to how these topics can be researched in the future.