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Evaluating Plans Pragmatically

University of Illinois at Chicago, USA, chashoch{at}uic.edu

In this article I take up the topic of plan evaluation. I compare two approaches. One approach uses Rational analysis, the other pragmatic reasoning. I argue that planners should place less emphasis on rational analysis and adopt a distinctly pragmatic approach when evaluating plans. Analysis may offer objectivity and precision, but it sacrifices context and continuity. A pragmatic outlook embraces context and seeks continuity among diverse viewpoints. It avoids the separation between analysis and action, providing a useful rationale for what some practitioners might call common sense judgment.

Key Words: deliberation • democracy • evaluation • pragmatism • rationality

Planning Theory, Vol. 1, No. 1, 53-75 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/147309520200100104


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