Urban Planning Imagination

Nicholas A. Phelps is Professor and Chair of Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne.

"With his book, Nicholas A. Phelps has presented a refreshingly liberating view of urban planning that avoids the greatest pitfalls of localism." Soziopolis​ "A wise and stimulating book."Zef Hemel, Rooilijn"A stock of wisdom and a series of useful methods [...] with the conviction that new and more supportive collaborations are central to the future of urban planning."TOPSCAPE"The Urban Planning Imagination goes beyond planning as reactive and regulative profession and revisits planning’s histories and geographies. This mind-opening and path-breaking book deploys a whole set of new vocabularies – imagination, substance, wisdom, methods, comparison, exchanges – to depict an exciting, forward-looking, progressive vision of planning. Rethinking fundamental aspects of planning, Nicholas A. Phelps presents a critical reading of diverse international practices and provides a profound inspiration to a new generation of planners."Fulong Wu, UCL Bartlett School of Planning"The growing complexity of society, cities and planning requires the original insights and analysis that Nicholas A. Phelps provides. Building on the diversity of planning practices, Phelps provides a framework that allows us to move forward to tackle the challenges of cities and city planning. Highly recommended."Phil Allmendinger, University of Cambridge

• Chapter 1 Introduction: what is planning?Chapter 2 Imagination: what is planning's spirit and purpose?Chapter 3: Substance: what are the objects of planning?Chapter 4: Wisdom: what does planning teach us?Chapter 5: Methods: what are the means planning?Chapter 6: Comparisons: what are the global variations in planning?Chapter 7: Exchanges: what are the global connections in planning?Chapter 8: Conclusion: what is the future of planning?