Transformative Planning in Practice

Transformative planning is an appealing set of principles for planners seeking social and economic justice. But to what extent does the transformative perspective work as a guide to planning practice? How can planners work transformatively within the large public and nonprofit sector organizations within which so much planning practice takes place? Much of the literature on transformative planning consists of inspirational success stories. In this article, we seek to broaden the evidence base, using interviews with a dozen currently practicing planners who embrace transformative values to explore the challenges and opportunities of transformative approaches in varied everyday planning settings.