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Beyond Relativism

Reclaiming the Search for Good City Form

Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Cliff Ellis

Graduate Program in Urban Planning at the University of Kansas

This article argues that the search for a theory of good city form should be given a more prominent place in planning theory alongside theories of planning as a process. The professional practice of city and regional planning requires well-validated, durable criteria for successful outcomes. Fortunately, many recent developments in philosophy, science, political theory, and the arts challenge the postmodern relativism that has deflected attention away from normative theory toward procedural issues. The authors argue that planners should take advantage of these new ideas and launch a renewed quest for the elements of good city form.

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