On the Ethics of Urban Planning from the Perspective of Epistemology
Abstract：
This paper discusses the ethical issues in urban planning in general and smart city planning in particular from the perspective of epistemology. Although the overall objective of urban planning is for human good, planners in practice often face difficult choices between alternatives that involve winners and losers. Some ethical principles should be applied to minimize the loss of individuals or groups as much as possible. We should recognize from the epistemological perspective that planners’ lack of sympathy, limits of planning knowledge, and planning fallacies could result in unintended and undesirable consequences. The problem is especially conspicuous in the planning and implementation of smart cities. This paper suggests that planners should strengthen the sense of sympathy based on communicative rationality, and safeguard policies should be adopted in the urban planning system to ensure that the interests of disadvantaged groups are protected, and the ethics of urban planning are upheld. Urban planning requires reason, sensibility, communicative rationality, and safeguard policies.