Review of Planning Theory for Practitioners by Michael Brooks

There is an undeniable schism between the theory and the practice of planning. "Planning Theory for Practitioners" attempts to bridge this divide, in a manner aimed at engaging practitioners, using several examples from planning practice. In doing so, Michael Brooks responds to three commonly proffered reasons for the disconnect between theory and practice: (1) theoretical discussions are abstract, whereas real life planning is not; (2) theorists communicate with each other in a dis- course that excludes most practitioners; and (3) theo- rists do not really appreciate that politics is the Achilles’ heel of local-level planning.