Aspects of Social Engineering in Planning: A Critical Analysis

The commentary engages social engineering, a contentious concept overlooked in planning, and critically examines planning and planning practices in light of it. While other critical planning perspectives highlight how specific ideological or structural forces marginalize and control, the social engineering framework additionally highlights the deliberate, goal-oriented intent to design or influence behavior, a feature that cuts across ideologies and connects planning's benevolent self-image to its coercive tendencies more clearly. This examination helps expand critical planning perspectives and encourages a reflective approach to understanding planning's role in society by providing a language that is immediately legible in professional practice.