"Fifty Theses on Urban Planning and Urban Planners" - Raphael Fischler (2012)

The following is a brief summary/analysis of Raphael Fischler's essay titled "Fifty Theses on Urban Planning and Urban Planners"

Fischler begins the essay and carries a common theme throughout, this is the fact that "urban planning as a field is ill defined in contents and in scope, and the public hardly knows what to expect of its practitioners". By doing this he is somewhat highlighting the broad and complex nature of the Urban Planning profession, but also possibly noting the potential difficulty he underwent when writing this paper.

The one introductory sentence, as stated above, creates the basis for many of Fischler's 50 theses. Fischler breaks his theses into six areas: General Thesis, the Meaning and Origins of Urban Planning, the Substance and uses of Urban Planning, on Good Planning and Good Plans, on Urban Planners and on Planning Education and Research.  

Fischler's General Thesis follows on nicely from his introductory statement. Here he explores the lengthy 18 contradictions, paradoxes and tensions involved in planning - including urban planning as a political activity and it as a technical activity, urban planning as a practical achievement or it as an ideological claim and urban planning as the exercise of power or it as a service to the powerful. These again highlights not only the profession's in depth complexity but the struggles planners face when defining their field.


Under the heading of 'Meaning and Origins of Urban Planning' the depth and evolution of planning is specified.

"5. Urban planning as a social activity has existed since cities have appeared... Urban planning as a professional activity originated in the industrial era

6. Modern urban planning is the progeny of a marriage between science and utopia"

With the field so subject to change and it evolving seemingly with the world - i.e. from industrialisation to the present social era - it seems as though it there's no wonder the profession is ill defined.

With the theme that planning is 'ill defined' with 'the public hardly knowing what to expect' it would make sense that the next section, 'the Substance and Uses of Urban Planning' covered a range of ideas. Guess what, that'd exactly what it does.
"11. Urban planning is a design activity
12. Urban planning is a political activity
14. It aims to increase freedom, but it interferes with individual liberties
15. Urban planning can be a force of good but also a force of evil"
All these points build to the generalised statement which can ultimately be used to sum up the entire essay - "16. Urban planning is a focused multidisciplinary field".

With all this in mind coming into the next sections 'Theses on Good Planning and Good Plans' and 'Theses on Urban Planners'  you may be excused to think good planning must be near impossible to achieve and good urban planners must be impossible to come by, however, Fischler explores the fact that good plans and good planners have a few basic characteristics. Good plans are ones that are effectively planned, have a clear goal, can be realistically achieved and are time effective. While good planners, although they play the roles of "architects, managers, mediators, advocates, educators and facilitators" are generally: critical thinkers, passionate people, respectful, transparent and effective communicators.

This leads to the final section labelled 'Theses on Planning Education and Research'. This quite predictably states that for more successful planners to be produced, like producing more successful anything, they need to be taught the skills and attributes young. Therefore planning specific schools and planning educations are most effective in gaining this goal.

In conclusion, the essay is an extremely comprehensive overview the theses of urban planning and planners, however it generally maintains a similar tone throughout communicating a general message - urban planning is a very complex and in depth profession and planners must be well trained and educated in order to succeed in the field.

This has been a general summary and analysis of Raphael Fischler's essay "Fifty Theses on Urban Planning and Urban Planners" - 2012 by Brad Maxwell, feel free to leave a comment and join the discussion!