| Alternative planning methodologies are based on different ideologies and theories. Methodological choice in planning implies a prior theory and ideology and is linked to the planning outcome. The relationship is one of structural causality. A typology of planning methodologies is developed and through a critique and reconstruction, the methodology of dialectical planning is outlined. It is designed to integrate theory and practice in a framework of praxis. The substantive area of rural energy planning in Third World has been chosen to illustrate this general approach in a concrete manner. Rural energy planning from alternative perspectives is reviewed and specific case studies described and critiqued. A dialectical planning analysis of rural energy is undertaken. Dialectical planning in a deep sense, is a meta-methodology, as it transcends conventional planning. The possibilities of this methodology for creating a critical awareness and hence overcoming the limitations of conventional planning are explored. |
