Planning and Practical Wisdom

In thinking of who or what we plan for, the "public interest" is a central yet nebulous idea. The concept of practical wisdom, or what Aristotle called phronesis - the moral will and skill to do the right thing, for the right reasons, at the right time, and in the right way - is a useful lens with which planners can think about how make good plans, especially in an increasingly complex urban space.

In this short essay written for a public policy ethics class, I explored how the practical wisdom lens, and especially the situational awareness that is a key component of practical wisdom, highlights the importance of understanding lived context, a strong capacity for judgment and a plural approach to the public good. This can come through a planning version of “lived experience”: for instance, marrying demographic and economic data that planners have access to with an active engagement with the community.