Uneasy and contradicting cohabitation of neoliberalism and planning: what is next?

Abstract

Neoliberalisation, as a prevailing pattern of market-oriented regulatory restructuring, has increasingly influenced urban development, planning, and governance. While planning is often perceived as inherently opposed to neoliberal principles, the coexistence of the two has created contradictions and tensions within contemporary urban practice. This paper examines the uneasy relationship between neoliberalism and planning, exploring how planners operate within, contribute to, resist, or moderate profit-driven urban transformation. It argues for the need to develop new planning approaches capable of addressing the challenges posed by the neoliberalisation of urban development.