Planning Culture-A Concept to Explain the Evolution of Planning Policies and Processes in Europe?

This article examines the complex relations between spatial planning and its cultural context (including the specific socio-economic patterns and related cultural norms, values, traditions and attitudes). To be able to analyze the extent to which spatial planning adapts to external pressures such as Europeanization, a culturized planning model with the three dimensions planning artefacts, planning environment and societal environment is used. It can be observed that the harmonization of spatial planning practices can result from external pressures such as EU regulations as well as (horizontal) collective learning processes. However, harmonization does not necessarily result in convergence. Adaptational pressures such as Europeanization often result in the customization of existing structures, frames and policies (planning artefacts and planning environment) but do not fundamentally change the underlying core cultural traits (societal environment). These cultural traits are quite resistant to change and help maintain a diversity of planning cultures and policies in Europe.