Abstract
The appropriate fit of people to their environment (natural and human-made) is a seminal planning theme. The use of ecological principles to help achieve that fit has become a recurrent theme in the literature of planning. A variety of approaches that generally fall under the rubric of “ecological planning” has resulted. Ecological planning has been defined as the use of socio-cultural and bio-physical information to provide options for policy and decision makers regarding the myriad of interrelationships between humans and environment. This article explores the historical foundations of ecological planning; identifies the major themes from the literature and from practice; explores the issues that have been addressed and directions the field has taken; assesses the growth and development of the field over time; and explores its potential for the future.
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