Changing importance of quantitative methods in regional development and planning

Abstract

In the recent past the quantitative methods, which had been favorable in planning practice since the 1950s and 1960s, lost their popularity. This paper claims that the planning discourse and the underlying theories were imperative in this trend. The paper aims to present briefly the changing planning discourses since the 1950s, and the shift in the focus of regional planning connected to how growth has been perceived and theorized indicating that these changes were the main factors that downgraded the use of quantitative techniques. The last section, however, discusses that the increasing problems and vulnerability of regions and urban areas necessitate a paradigm shift, which should bring back the need for quantitative analysis on the agenda.