Physical change and human ecology; What is planning?; Systems; Planning as a conceptual system; On space and spatial planning; Goals; Projecting the system: What is the future?; Models; Some operational models and their underlying theories; Modelling "the whole system"; Evaluation; A spatial method for regional planning; Satisfaction or optimisation? The bounds of rationality; Plan or programme?; A mixed-programming strategy.

A Systems View Of Planning: Towards A Theory of the Urban and Regional Planning sets out to be a special kind of theory of the process known as town and regional planning, which is based upon the broader theory of General Systems and its allied field of Cybernetics. Because of this, the content of the book differs considerably from what most town planners think of as relevant to the subject. The book begins with physical change and human ecology, and then moves on to systems and planning, its goals, projecting the future of the system, operational models and their underlying theories, and management and planning. The book appeals to planners, architects, and city engineers, especially those who wish to learn or make a study on the systems view of planning, its different theories and methods, its possible future, and its many applications in designing and improving towns and cities.

Taylor describes the development of urban planning ideas since the end of the Second World War, outlining the main theories from the traditional view of planning as an exercise in physical design to recent views of planning as 'communicative action'.

A Systems View of Planning: Towards a Theory of the Urban and Regional Planning Process, Second Edition covers theories of the process of town and regional planning. The book discusses physical change and human ecology; the theory of planning; the variety and entropy of systems; and planning as a conceptual system. The text also describes space and spatial planning; goal formulation in planning; exploratory and normative techniques and intuitive methods in projecting the system; and operational models and their underlying theories. Using linear programming and entropy methods; major aspects of evaluation, program budgeting, cost benefit analysis, and matrix methods; and the spatial method for regional planning are also covered. The book tackles the mixed-programming strategy as well. Engineers, architects, farmers, and foresters will find the book invaluable.

Urban and Regional Planning Series, Volume 5: A Reader in Planning Theory focuses on the approaches, methodologies, applications, and mechanics involved in planning theory. The selection first elaborates on a choice theory of planning, sociological considerations in the evaluation of planning, and British town planning. Discussions focus on social scientific research and town planning ideology, town planning as part of broader social policy, critics of traditional planning, value formulation, means identification, and effectuation. The text then examines comprehensive planning and social responsibility and building the middle-range bridge for comprehensive planning. The publication takes a look at the science of "muddling through", beyond the middle-range planning bridge, and goals of comprehensive planning. Topics include comprehensiveness and public interest, community development programming, non-comprehensive analysis, relations between means and ends, and successive comparisons as a system. The book also ponders on community decision behavior, a conceptual model for the analysis of planning behavior, and advocacy and pluralism in planning. The selection is a dependable reference for researchers interested in planning theory.