Adapting, shifting, defining new roles: Education for a maturing professional field

The establishment of the planning profession in an increasing number of countries has been proffered by a growing recognition of the necessity to regulate and organize urban growth and development. This is necessary both as a means to safeguard the health and quality of life of urban populations on one hand, and to protect natural resources on the other. This chapter provides a brief review of the quantitative and qualitative developments in the education of this growing profession. Drawing on a variety of reviews and national case studies, the dynamic and adaptable nature of the discipline is illustrated. While a maturing of the field is clearly noticeable with reflective writing and pedagogical research, comparative studies, and the formation of national and international networks and associations, planning education provision in some places is still poorly developed. The context specificity of planning and planning education which holds the field suspended between local specificity and conveying universal principles has stifled progress seen in other disciplines around standardization, quality assurance, and international accreditation. Instead, diversity, adaptation to new tasks, flexible pathways into the profession and innovative institutional partnerships seem to emerge as hallmarks of planning education.