Berkeley Planning Journal

Planners rely upon planning history to provide a sense of their position in society and the importance of their work. To reinter­ pret that history is to change the background upon which planners operate in the present and to influence their vision of the future. Traditional histories of American city planning tell a story of gra­ dual, but inexorable, progress, beginning with the reform move­ ments of the late nineteenth century and leading steadily toward increasing social acceptance, technical advancement, and institu­ tional consolidation. Personalities, famous plans, and legislative milestones march past, forming a narrative that is, on the whole, reassuring. Planning is portrayed as an activity that has emerged from tenuous beginnings to become a sophisticated profession, guiding urban change in the public interest.