The Social Construction of Planning Systems: A Strategic-Relational Institutionalist Approach

This article reflects on a theoretical framework for the analysis of planning systems based on an institutionalist planning theory broadened with Jessop's strategic-relational approach. The aim is to explore the concept of the planning system with an actor-structure perspective so as to underline possible research consequences for analyses and comparisons of planning systems. The article highlights the interactions of actors and social institutional elements, clarifying the strategic-relational nature of a planning system and the dialectical process at the basis of its changes and evolutions.