Urban and Regional Planning: A Review of Three Rational Planning Processes

The rational planning process is a widely accepted method to guide the profession of Urban and Regional Planning. After a literature review, limited and incomplete information was found concerning the rational planning process.

A comparison was conducted among three documented rational planning processes. A common labeling system identifying all the concepts within each process was developed in order to examine the steps within each process for similarities and variations. The three areas focused on are the sequential ordering, labeling and defining of steps within the processes.

The inconsistent sequential ordering, labeling and defining of steps detailing the rational planning model over time have created a variety of fragmented representations of the rational planning process.

The author proposes a consolidated planning process based primarily upon the three examined planning processes.