From PSScience to digital planning: Steps towards an integrated research and practice agenda for digital planning

Up till now, a widely accepted definition of Digital Planning is missing. Following the Editorial, digital planning is defined as the application of digital technologies and data-driven approaches to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity in planning processes to improve social, economic, and environmental outcomes for a sustainable urban future. It is necessary to clarify the distinction between Digital Planning and two associated terminologies: Planning Support Systems (PSS) and Planning Support Science (PSScience). PSScience and Digital Planning (DP) are envisioned as distinctive but closely interconnected. PSScience acts as the scientific base of the foremost planning practice-oriented Digital Planning. Based on this double-sided distinction and interconnection with PSScience, the relatively new concept of Digital Planning is further elaborated upon, resulting in an integrated research and practice agenda. For both approaches, a quadruple collaboration will be needed between governmental organizations, market parties, societal organizations/individuals, and educational/research institutes. • The scientific debate on PSScience offers further understanding of the relatively new concept of Digital Planning. • PSScience is envisioned as the scientific base of the planning practice-oriented Digital Planning. • Analyzing PSScience and Digital Planning in concordance results in an integrated research and practice agenda. • For both approaches, a quadruple collaboration will be needed between all stakeholder groups involved. • Digital Planning needs to deal with many challenges to fulfil an important role in planning practice.