ABSTRACT
In 1988, the author published an article in the Journal of the American Planning Association entitled "Four Critical Junctures in the History of the Urban Planning Profession: An Exercise in Hindsight." The article was clearly an expression of his own professional values, and addressed his concern that the profession was in danger of losing the "reformist, visionary, future-oriented spirit" that had initially attracted so many of us to planning careers. This chapter suggests that the concept of effectiveness is meaningless unless it is integrated with a compelling vision of an improved urban society. The profession needs a new generation of visionaries, people who dream of a better world, and who are capable of designing the means to attain it. That, after all, is the essence of planning: to visualize the ideal future community, and to work toward its realization. City- or region-wide visioning programs are a long-standing tradition in local planning.
