Contents: Preface; Introduction: why study planning culture? Planning culture as a determinant of planning practices; Part I The Conceptual Framework for Analysing Cultures: Spatial planning and development in Europe: the importance of cultural contexts; Contemporary spatial planning models and the absence of culture; Culture as an organising category: how to analyse culture and its impact on planning systematically?; The interpretative framework: a general outline for the analysis of planning practices. Part II Empirical Studies of Planning Practice: Planning culture in Hamburg, Germany: between thoroughness, uncertainty avoidance and commercial pragmatism; Planning cultures in Helsinki, Finland: local autonomy, romantic rural views and social justice; Synopsis of the empirical results and an evaluation of the interpretative framework. Part III Generalisation of the Results - Deduction of a Theoretical Model for the Systematic Analysis of Planning Cultures: The 'culturised planning model': a tool to analyse the taken-for-granted routines and perceptions underlying planning practices; Conclusions: reflections on the culturised planning model; References; Index.

Frank Othengrafen, HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany

If planning is understood to be about the nature of place, about the way in which we use land, and about the physical expression of the ordering of society, then it becomes apparent that planning as an activity cannot possibly be divorced from the general cultural traditions that inform it. By adopting theoretical approaches from the fields of management studies, cultural studies and anthropology, and by using culture as an organising principle, this book develops an innovative framework which provides better insights into what culture is about, what the relations are between culture and planning and how culture influences planning practices. It introduces a 'culturised planning model', consisting of the analytical dimensions: 'planning artefacts', 'planning environment' and 'societal environment', with which to discover the unconscious routines and assumptions, emotions and meanings attached to planning systems and the different concepts used in spatial planning systematically. The model offers the possibility of uncovering cultural phenomena in spatial planning by providing relevant cultural dimensions and potential specifications and indicators which has not been the case so far. By comparing examples of German, Finnish and Greek planning habits, the book illustrates cultural influence in planning and provides the readership with a feedback between the micro (experiences of planners) and the macro level (institutional and social context) as well as a more systematic comparison based on cultural values, attitudes, norms and rules.