Organizational Perspectives and Urban Spatial Structure: A Review and Appraisal

Abstract

Many academic and practicing planners continue to examine local organizational effects on urban form despite failure to substantively theorize organizational functioning. This neglect, interestingly enough, occurs in spite of the recent emergence of innovative theories on organizationalfunctioning put forth by fellow planners and social scientists. This article informs planners of the need to theorize more penetratingly about organizations and reveals an evolving literature on this topic. It introduces frameworks such as urban managerialism, revisionist managerialism, organizational structuralism, and structuration, by tracing their evolution, substance, and points of controversy. The results suggest that planners need to theorize more substantively about the interconnections among societal structures, organizational morphology, and individuals. These influences generate active but bounded decision-makers who structure frequently unorthodox actions.