ABSTRACT
Increasingly, the planning literature is replete with debates about the societal purpose and ethical imperatives of planning. As a consequence, planners, wandering unguided through a maze of conflicting responsibilities, may be uncertain about their social status and duties. The uncertainty will raise the question of whether, and in what respects, planning is a profession. For a profession is more than a gainful occupation; it sets out a social good as its goal and raison detre, and requires those who would call themselves professionals to strive to further that goal. A profession is characterised by a moral mandate. The roots of planning in public health, civil engineering, architecture and the natural sciences gave rise to a body of specialised knowledge grounded on technical aspects of land use. Professions must have that degree of autonomy. The more important and more difficult question is whether planners, solely by virtue of their special skills and social roles, have obligations that are unique to them.
