ABSTRACT
In 1993, John Friedmann published a widely cited commentary outlining his vision of a future direction for planning. He called it “Toward a non-Euclidian mode of planning” (Friedmann 1993). This commentary built on his groundbreaking theory of transactive planning developed in Retracking America (1973), and his philosophy for mobilizing knowledge into action in Planning in the Public Domain (1987). For Friedmann, the old style of Euclidean planning was rooted in 19th-
century views of planning as a form of engineering science. In the old planning style, the assumption is that decisions are being made rationally and comprehensively. The objective of planning, from this perspective, is developing long-term plans, simulations and blueprints based on advanced analytic methods. This gives decision-making a sheen of scientific rigor. Yet this old model of planning is particularly unsuited for turbulent times,
and contexts where organizations and individuals are in a constant state of flux. In Friedmann’s proposed non-Euclidean model, planning is less about developing plans and preparing documents to chart a long-term course, and more a way of bringing knowledge to bear on action in the here and now. To achieve this end, Friedmann argued for an approach to planning that privileges the immediate timeframe and the local or regional scale. It has five key characteristics:
1 Normative and infused with values about inclusiveness, respect for the natural world, fairness and equality.
