View by Period		View by Theme
- Select Period - Overview 1682-1899 1901-1919 1920-1939 1940-1959 1960-2000		- Select Theme - Overview Conservation & Environment Economic Development History of Planning Profession Housing Landmark Laws Landmark Publications Planned Communities Regional Planning Urban Structure, Form, and Design

By Albert Guttenberg, FAICP

A chronology can be a convenient way of gaining an overall view of a field of human endeavor—a view of its origins, its outstanding personalities, its watershed events. In constructing a chronology the first question must be: What information to include?

I have been guided by my belief that American planning is not simply a profession, it is a also a broad movement embracing many fields of social and economic action. The movement gave rise to the profession but is not identical with it. Therefore, I have felt free to go outside the limits of the history of professional planning to draw pertinent items from wherever I find them—in the histories of housing, agriculture, ecology, and so on. With so many possible entries to pick from, I had to make some hard choices that not everyone will agree with. I would, however, welcome suggestions for future revisions. Send e-mail to: a-gutten@uiuc.edu.

This chronology is organized two ways — by year and by theme. You can see the whole chronology by clicking on the years:

1682-1899 | 1901-1919 | 1920-1939 | 1940-1959 | 1960-2000

Or, if you want to follow a particular theme, click on the appropriate category and all the items under that theme will come into view.

Landmark Publication | Planned Communities | Conservation & Environment | History of Planning Profession | Housing | Regional Planning | Landmark Laws | Economic Development | Urban Structure, Form, and Design

Adapted and updated from an article in Vol. 7, No. 1 of the Journal of Planning and Education Research. Copyright 1987 by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Reprinted with permission.