From the editor

Abstract

In the search for a clarification of the legitimate boundaries of the professional's sphere of expertise, is an underlying con­viction that the profession could and indeed should, within the ambit of the accepted holistic view of planning, be concerned with social form and norms. As planning does not occur in a vacuum it is clear that societal issues are an integral part of environmental planning. The "Generalist/Specialist" dicho­tomy can be explained to an extent by what can be regarded as a degree of 'diffusion' taking place in our traditional role in society: a role which previously placed great store on resolving problems in terms of the physical attributes of Space and Place. However, change and the scale and rate of change have necessitated a strengthening of the third component of the planner's role, namely the study of Process.