The Planning process in the US and Germany: A Comparative Analysis

This paper compares the planning process in Germany and the United States. We note fundamental institutional and structural differences between the two countries and discuss recent trends and patterns. Contrary to the US, planning in Germany is mediated through a vertically integrated and consensus oriented institutional framework. In response to the socioeconomic consequences of reunification and European integration, German planning has experimented with new regional associations. In the US, concerns over sprawl have led to increased state level planning and intervention. We conclude that these trends are in response to different circumstances and are subject to different institutional constraints. Introduction Comparisons between the planning model in the US and other countries often provoke bewilderment, because the planning system in the US seems unique, if not incomprehensible to planners from other countries. Likewise, US planners often react with incredulity to the planning system of other countries, citing the vast structural or cultural differences that exist. Nevertheless, an enduring theme in urban research in recent years is the gradual convergence and homogenization of urban patterns and processes, due to parallel changes in the economic base, spatial organization and social structure of cities (Sassen, 2002) (Cohen 1996), (Newman and Thornley, 1996). The purpose of this paper is two fold; First, to compare and contrast the planning process between Germany and the US, and second, to examine whether, and the extent to which, the respective planning processes are converging, if at all. We chose these two countries for various reasons. First, over the last 40 years, both countries have had similar Gross Domestic Product per capita growth rates (OECD 2005) to which the automobile industry has been a major contributor. Second, both countries have faced similar patterns of deindustrialization and economic restructuring, as the manufacturing sector has lost importance relative to the service sector. This has affected regional economies