| Abstract: | One is tempted to view ‘planning and design’ as a rational, technical exercise pursued by ‘experts’. These experts, through the judicious use of facts and analytical techniques, produce plans and proposals which are represented as the best possible answer to the situation at hand. However, looking back over the last ten years or so of planning experience in Australia, a better perspective may be to view planning as a fashion industry-an industry dominated by new fashionable ideas or fads that last only so long as they serve the interests of their protagonists. Fashionable ideas can make professional or political careers, facilitate the implementation of a particular project and legitimize inappropriate responses to local needs. |
