A View From the Ground: Implications for the Literature on the 'Models of the Development Process' Based on a Model of Praxis and an Associated Mapping Study

Abstract

This paper critiques the ontology and epistemology of existing literature on ‘models of the development process’ through a mapping study that situates economic, political economy, institutional, and social theory perspectives alongside a praxis-based view. Over two decades since the foundational categorical analyses of Healey (1991, 1992) and Gore & Nicholson (1991), scholars suggest that the field could benefit from a stronger emphasis on praxis and closer empirical engagement with property developers as actors. The paper introduces a model of praxis in the commercial property development mechanism, structured around a taxonomy that includes lots and land parcels, value tension, arbitrage transactions, title distribution, and a plurality of developer types. These actors transition parcels through a sequence of alignments shaped by and constrained by prior collective manifestations created by various parties. The approach highlights the importance of practice-oriented perspectives to enrich theoretical models of property development.