The role of urban and regional planning in the provision of social infrastructure

Planners as state agents evolve methods for equitable and supportive distributions of public facilities and services. In doing so, planners apply theories of economics, geography, politics, and sociology to model urban growth and forecast the need for infrastructure services. The role of planning is instrumental in assessing the merit of urban models and strategies, engaging with stakeholders for normative and substantive justice, and mitigating social costs borne from market failures and other externalities as they arise. In addressing the effort to achieve a fair distribution of goods and services for social equity and to mitigate the causes of historical injustice, planners are guided by ethical principles. Lessons learned from planning activities in providing social infrastructure facilities such as healthcare, K-12 education, parks and recreation, and housing suggest that institutional arrangements matter. Institutions determine the effectiveness of planning and its efficiency in minimizing transaction costs for marginalized groups and individuals.