ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the significance of the sociological institutionalist (SI) ontology and epistemology underlying Patsy Healey's ground-breaking work since the 1990s, and highlight the distinctive and valuable insights this approach yields through a comparison with a historical institutionalist (HI) perspective. It suggests that an HI approach generates a different perspective on institutions and institutional change dynamics than SI approaches. The chapter also suggests that the institutions associated with the development of urban space are in some cases highly path dependent. It outlines the central role of sociological institutionalist ideas in the major turning point in Healey's thought of the early 1990s which led to her 'Collaborative Planning' breakthrough. The chapter sketches out the similarities and differences between HI and SI. It outlines the contours of an historical institutionalist conceptual framework, and applies this to land development planning processes, with a focus on the different set of questions and cases that this suggests compared to SI.
