Moving Beyond the Role of Fantasy in Constituting Planning Organisations and Their Agency

Abstract

This paper examines planning organisations not only as producers of policy plans but also as producers of fantasies that structure collective desires and visions guiding organisational agency. Drawing on planning and organisational theory, as well as psychoanalytical perspectives, the paper argues that fantasy shapes reality by underpinning both societal structures and planning practices. It highlights how reliance on improbable fantasies sustains the appeal of planning, even when plans often fail to achieve their stated goals. The paper suggests the need for a new relationship to fantasy, moving away from being captive to improbable desires towards a more reflective and critical role for planning.