This companion provides an overview of a rich field of scholarship and practice, covering key debates around the purpose and value of comparison as a way of generating knowledge and theory. It features examples of comparative studies which explore contemporary issues in planning for sustainable urban and territorial development.
Across seven parts, the book explores questions of 'why' engage in international comparative planning research; 'what' planning aspects might be compared; and 'how' comparison might be approached. Through compelling cases of contemporary comparative research on diverse planning topics, including planning systems and governance, planning instruments and law, urban morphology, planning for risk, perspectives on informality, comparative pedagogy, and more, readers will gain a wide appreciation of comparative studies and the current state of the field. The book comprises 37 chapters by 61 contributors from around the world, offering their vital insights into the vibrant and evolving scholarship.
The companion will be of interest to educators, academics and researchers, planning practitioners, city and municipal governments, consultants, and advanced students in the fields of city, urban, and regional planning, urban design, human geography, and urban, environmental, and international development studies, interested in comparing and co-learning from global practices and places.
Ela Babalık is Professor of City and Regional Planning, and a transport policy expert. Having been a member of the academic staff for over 25 years at the Department of City and Regional Planning in the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey, she is teaching urban transport planning and transport policy as a part-time instructor at METU as well as carrying out training, policymaking projects, and consultancy work at the national and international level. Her areas of expertise include transport policy, sustainable mobility, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and planning education.
Andrea I. Frank is Associate Professor in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Birmingham, UK. Other than in the UK, she previously has held academic appointments in the USA, Germany, and Indonesia. Her areas of expertise include sustainability, public participation, creativity, planning pedagogy, and education for planning as well as international and comparative planning. With Christopher Silver, she is co-editor of Urban Planning Education: Beginnings, Global Movement and Future Prospects (2018) and Teaching Urban and Regional Planning (with A.R. Pires, 2021).
Olivier Sykes is Associate Professor in European Spatial Planning and Discipline Lead for Planning at the University of Liverpool. His research and teaching address the fields of European spatial planning, international planning studies, and comparative urban policy and regeneration. He is co-author of International Planning Studies: An Introduction (2023) and co-editor of Planning in a Failing State: Reforming Spatial Governance in England (2024).
