Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-1989

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Planning

Major Professor

Kenneth B. Kenney

Committee Members

James A. Spencer, George Bowen, T. McN. Simpson

Abstract

Recent theories of city planning and budgeting seem to indicate that the two fields are converging as budgeting theorists call for a planning approach to budgeting and planning theorists call for planning that is more relevant to immediate decisions, particularly budgeting decisions. These theoretical trends have generated fundamental debates about the nature of municipal planning and budgeting. This case study attempts to illuminate these debates by examining an attempt to link the planning and budgeting functions of the city of Atlanta between 1974 and 1982.

Following a review of recent theories of planning and budgeting, a detailed history of Atlanta's attempt to link the two functions was compiled through a review of newspaper articles and interviews with 25 people who played significant roles in the city's planning and budgeting operations. Finally, significant questions raised by the evolving theories were evaluated in light of Atlanta's experience.

The study found that Atlanta's attempt to link planning and budgeting took place at a time of unusual social and political instability in the city, and, thus, the ability to draw general conclusions from Atlanta's experience was limited. However, the case study did find that both planning and budgeting are products of their political environment and that no approach to their performance can succeed without the support of all the significant political decision makers. It was found that the planning-budgeting linkage seemed to improve the decision process for capital budgeting, but generally confused and weakened the process for operating budgeting. Furthermore, the concentration on immediate decisions seemed to divert the attention of the city's planners from the comprehensive, future orientation that is the traditional hallmark of their discipline. No conclusion could be reached regarding whether these impacts were inherent in the integration of planning and budgeting or were caused by the unusual environment in which Atlanta tried to link the two functions.

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