Sari Puustinen

The “deliberative bureaucrat”: deliberative democracy and institutional trust in the jurisdiction of the Finnish planner

Abstract This article seeks to elaborate on Forester’s notion of the planner as a “deliberative practitioner”, aiming to add sensitivity to the institutional conditions of planning, focusing especially on Finland. In terms of trust, the concept of deliberative practitioner mostly focuses on interpersonal trust as a planner’s resource in mediating particular interests. Thereby, when applied to the Finnish context, institutional trust may be undermined as a key resource for the Finnish planner’s jurisdiction, justifying his/her proactive role and authority in bringing broader concerns to the planning agenda. This undermining prevents the acknowledgement of important institutional resources that the Finnish planner has in coping with the tensions between communicative ideals and neoliberal realities. A more context-sensitive and institutionally responsive theory of communicative planning is needed to help the planning professionals and other stakeholders conceive the deliberative ideals as supportive for the planners’ institutionally strong agency. Hence, the notion of the “deliberative bureaucrat”. The article seeks to develop an outline for such a theory by drawing upon studies of legal culture, the sociology of professions, deliberative democracy theory and the concept of trust.

Architectural Education as a Basis for Planning Work — The Pros and Cons of Professional Enculturation

Abstract Planning education does not exist as an independent professional education in Finland. The educational background of the majority of practising urban planners (approximately 50–60%) is architectural education. Because of this national particularity, this paper concentrates on architect-planners as a professional group, and presents findings from a national survey the authors conducted in Finland in January 2009. The key question in this paper is how Finnish architectural education prepares urban planning professionals for their work, and how architect-planners perceive the strengths and weaknesses of architectural education with respect to the competence demands they face. The conclusions of the study point to certain inner contradictions inside the architectural profession. Architectural education passes on a somewhat narrow conception of art which translates into an emphasis on individual creativity, questioning and problem solving skills. Striving for excellence in the art of architecture, perceived in this way, seems to work against developing the students’ skills in negotiation, conflict management, interdisciplinary teamwork and leadership, all of which are indispensable for practising architects. Resolution to the contradiction is sought from the work of Dana Cuff (1991) and Kristina Nilsson (2003), who associate artistry with the social ability to manage complex problems creatively and reflexively, in cooperation with other professionals and actors from other fields. Such a redefinition of art and artistry in architectural education might help settle the tensions the authors have identified in the survey analysis.