Title (tentative):
Critical Realism and Planning
Editors:
Jin Xue, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Rasmus Nedergård Steffansen, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University
Targeted publisher:
Routledge Studies in Critical Realism
Call for contributions:
Planning is an interdisciplinary field, operating at the intersection of science, policy, and lived experience. As the world is becoming increasingly complex and intertwined, and being challenged by polycrisis, new technologies and value relativism, it is pertinent to reflect on philosophy of science to enhance the capability of planning to navigate the complexity and uncertainty. In this context, there has been a growing awareness that conventional ontological, epistemological and methodological frameworks, particularly those rooted in positivism and post-structuralism, are insufficient for addressing the critical, reflective and normative thinking that planning is called upon. However, philosophical reflections are rarely made explicit in planning literature, practice and research.
While a realist position has been brought into the planning field and shown its benefits to critically rethink planning, the exploration is still in its infancy. Despite a growing academic interest and initiatives in exploring implications of critical realism for planning, such as reflections on structure and agency, ideology, methodology, interdisciplinarity, critical realism has yet to be applied to various dimensions of planning. Critical realism provides a deep realist position on social realities, ethics and social transformation, relevant to planning. With many powerful concepts, it can allow for an in-depth, critical understanding and analysis of planning phenomena, provide justification for normative questions, and facilitate the employment of plural methods.
Within the body of scholarship on critical realism and planning, Professor Petter Næss—who sadly passed away earlier this year—has been a leading and influential figure. His scholarly contributions have left a legacy that continues to inspire a wide range of researchers across the field. This edited volume seeks not only to deepen the engagement with critical realism within the planning research community but also to honour the intellectual contributions of Professor Næss.
This call invites abstracts that engage critical realism as a philosophical approach to planning theory, practice and research. Contributions addressing either theoretical perspectives or empirical studies, or both, are welcomed. We seek contributions that reflect on:
- ontological foundations of planning
- assumptions of planning tools, instruments and processes
- knowledge production and validation of and in planning
- ethics and normativity
- Power and politics
- methodology of planning research
- Other relevant topics
In doing so, the edited volume aims to address and enrich the philosophical debates in the planning field, and explore implications and potentials of critical realism for strengthening planning’s capability for tackling a complex world.
Formality:
Abstract contributions should:
- Explicitly engage with the topic of the edited book
- Be a maximum of 300 words
- Be submitted to the email address
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Submission deadline:
- 15th December 2025
Follow-up procedure:
The editors will review all submitted contributions and select those to be included in the book proposal. Notifications of acceptance will be communicated by 15 January 2026. Subsequently, the editors will prepare and submit a comprehensive book proposal for consideration within the Routledge Studies in Critical Realism series. Further correspondence will be issued following the publisher’s feedback.
All authors are encouraged to participate in the World Planning Schools Congress, to be held in Helsinki from June 29 to July 3, 2026. Within Track 14: Theories, we will organize a thematic session on the same topic. Should you wish to attend the Congress and present your work, please submit it under Track 14 and include the keyword “critical realism” in your submission.
Contact information:
For any inquiries or further information, please reach out to us via email at
