Communicative planning theory: A Foucauldian assessment

Given the philosophical opposition that existed between Foucault and Habermas, a Foucauldian reading of communicative planning theory may yield a very critical assessment of that body of work. Rather than develop such a critique, this paper shows that there are in fact significant points of agreement between communicative theorists and the French historian of modernity, in particular with respect to the relationship between theory and practice. However, Foucault's work raises important questions about the relationship between cheery and history, and it challenges Forester, Healey, and others to situate communicative planning in its historical context and to assess the dangers that it pores For individuals and for society at large.