Schools of urban and regional planning evaluation: A genealogical perspective

Abstract

Evaluation is one of the most important steps in the planning process that has been widely considered in recent decades by scholars in the field of planning. Despite the extensive studies on the plan and planning evaluation, no specific studies have yet been conducted on planning evaluation schools. This gap can cause a theoretical and practical ambiguity on the subject of planning evaluation. Hence, exploring and describing theoretical and practical historical developments in the field of evaluation schools in planning can be useful in resolving this ambiguity. In this article, using the meta-theory and a genealogical perspective, four schools of planning were identified: The causal school under the rational planning theories, the communicative school under the participatory planning theories, the Dutch school under the Dutch planning, and the IOR School of planning, and finally, the evidence-oriented school under the emerging theories of sustainable development and environmental planning. This classification was conducted based on the philosophy of thought, the influential scholars, and how to use evaluation. Identifying these schools of thought contributes to a clear understanding of how this concept is described and applied in planning evaluation, states the reasons for its formation and critiques of each school, and ultimately strengthens its practice.