Journal of Planning Education and Research

 

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Journal of Planning Education and Research, Vol. 23, No. 3, 255-268 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0739456X03261282

Localizing a Global Discipline

Designing New Planning Programs in Sri Lanka

Basil van Horen

School of Geography, Planning, and Architecture; Development Planning Program at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Michael Leaf

School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver; university’s Centre for Southeast Asia Research.

Sisira Pinnawala

Department of Sociology of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

In order to be relevant and useful in a fragmented developing country context, community and regional planning needs to shift away from the use of rigid tools to more flexible, adaptive approaches. An international review of planning curricula indicated a widespread consensus with respect to key competencies required of planners. This understanding was used in the development of new teaching programs at three Sri Lankan universities. Complementing the technical core knowledge areas, strong emphases on problem structuring, critical and strategic thinking, and the understanding of the political and institutional contexts appear to be crucial to making the agenda of "planning for sustainable development" more than a fashionable cliché. In order for these core areas to have relevance in a developing country context, however, planning curricula need to achieve a balance between local priorities and a "global" perspective.

Key Words: planning education • curriculum development • developing country • international collaboration


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