| Planning, as the process of preparing for future development and effective management of resources and operations, has been practiced in most of the world spanning man's recorded history. Planning as a technical and professional field has been evolving for a century. Planning as a "teachable" discipline has been in curricula of higher education in North America since 1923.;Planning education in North America has developed as cities spread into metropoli; as communities expanded essential services; and as public concern encompassed economic and social resource development, social services, environmental conservation, and urban aesthetics at all governmental scales. As the agenda expanded and broadened, education programs proliferated in number, size, and diversity. By 1978, master's degree programs numbered 85 in the United States and Canada, 21 of which offered the doctoral degree. Rapid growth brought problems of identification, definition, relevance, and increasing competition from public administration and traditional academic disciplines. This study coincides with a time of reappraisal, redefinition, and renewal of planning education.;The objective of this study is the development of a planning education program as a point of reference for educators as they reassess and redesign programs and curricula to meet future challenges. The research included a review of planning theory and practice, planning education, educational planning, and competency-based programming; an analysis of data collected for the Guide to Graduate Education in Urban and Regional Planning (Hamlin, 1978); a survey of 85 North American graduate schools of planning to update the above data through 1979 and to query chairpersons on the future of planning education; and a two-round Delphi survey of educational leaders on planning and education.;An "average" contemporary planning educational program, competency-based educational objectives, and a planning skills matrix for the 1980s are developed. Based upon the findings, a planning education program for the 1980s and beyond is proposed as a contribution to planning educational evaluation and development.;Planning is a unique process, profession, and curriculum because of its interdisciplinary nature and pragmatic goals. It has borrowed science and methodology from architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, law, the humanities, and the social and physical sciences. |
