Springer Essential Methods for Planning Practitioners: Skills and Techniques for Data Analysis, Visualization, and Communication (The Urban Book Series)

This book assembles and organizes a selected range of methods and techniques that every planning practitioner should know to be successful in the contemporary global urban landscape. The book is unique because it links different aspects of the planning/policy-making enterprise with the appropriate methods and approaches, thus contextualizing the use of specific methods and techniques within a sociopolitical and ethical framework. This volume familiarizes readers with the diverse range of methods, techniques, and skills that must be applied at different scales in dynamic workplace environments where planning policies and programs are developed and implemented. This book is an invaluable resource in helping new entrants to the planning discourse and profession set aside their own disciplinary biases and empowering them to use their expert knowledge to address societal concerns.  Review “Often I have wished for a resource that students could use to understand a concept, method or tool and then engage with the literature. This book does that!   My students are engineers, public policy analysts and disaster scientists but they all need to plan. They plan what our physical infrastructure will look like, they use planning tools to understand and quantify the impacts of policies and they plan for disasters. They must engage with communities, they need to use data and information, and they need to communicate information.  Each chapter and section provides nuggets of information that tell them about context, the gist of a process, procedure or tools, examples to illustrate the nuggets, and strategies to implement the plans. Theory meets practice and practice meets theory in this engaging narrative. Thank you! I look forward to using this as a resource and a text.” (Sue McNeil, Chair and Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware) “If I were a new student coming out of a planning program, this book would be an excellent addition to my library. It will be very useful to young planning professionals, but more so to any professional who wants to use data to communicate complex issues and bring disparate audiences together to resolve important issues. The role of the planner as bridge builder and problem solver in the public realm is a theme that this book takes seriously; it offers practical guidance to planners who aspire to serve in this role.” (Ms. Judy Colby George, GISP, Independent Planning Consultant) “Professors Ramasubramanian and Albrecht advocate a specific approach to professional planning that strives to balance the social justice goals of advocacy planning with the real-world constraints of planners’ jobs – especially those new to the profession. This book will be valuable for both new planners and those well into their careers.  It is well organized as a reference volume, but doesn’t provide glib or condensed discussions of difficult topics.  Rather, challenging subject matter and situations are thoughtfully explored to provide substantive guidance. Highly recommended!” (Ms. Anna Slatinsky, Planning Division Manager, City of Beaverton, Oregon) “Here is an expertly crafted methods book for planners. I wish I had had this book when I was studying for the AICP exam!” (Emily Talen, PhD, Professor, University of Chicago) From the Back Cover This book assembles and organizes a selected range of methods and techniques that every planning practitioner should know to be successful in the contemporary global urban landscape. The book is unique because it links different aspects of the planning/policy-making enterprise with the appropriate methods and approaches, thus contextualizing the use of specific methods and techniques within a sociopolitical and ethical framework. This volume familiarizes readers with the diverse range of methods, techniques, and skills that must be applied at different scales in dynamic workplace environments where planning policie