ABSTRACT
The new term of culturisation was introduced as a facilitating concept in this process, centred around the reflexive, ethical and critical use and interrogation of culture in planning, and as an umbrella approach that could be perceived as presenting similar opportunities for the culturisation of areas related to planning such as education, health, public administration, and development thinking. Non-culturised and culturised approaches to planning are exhibited in urban and regional planning, and strategic planning, including strategic planning for major cultural and heritage sites. A low level of cultural literacy in planning would be reflected in difficulties in achieving a proper ethical engagement with the implications of community, place and history, particularly in terms of wider interpretation and public policy developments. Fully culturised collaborations and community participation can also trigger fresh reflexivity and new ideas and approaches to improve planning. The role of theory in the infinite work of cultural interpretation is to continuously open up, reveal and critique social development.
