Peter Marcuse at 80: His Extraordinary Contributions to Progressive Planning by Clara Irazábal and Susan Fainstein Peter Marcuse is known throughout the world. His writings are in ideas for alternative approaches, the world as a leading scholar and German as well as English. He offering fruitful comparisons with practitioner of progressive planning, has written or edited eight books European programs. The range but he has also been an outstanding and over 200 papers in over thirty of his work on housing extends member of Planners Network since professional and scholarly journals from compiling the New York City it was founded in 1975. and he is on the editorial board Housing and Vacancy Survey—a of several journals, including the critically important empirical tool—to Peter is an attorney, a practicing Journal of Planning Education and conceptual pieces, including his very planner and a teacher of planning. Research. His contribution, however, influential essay “Housing Policy He is truly one of the most is not simply a matter of quantity. and the Myth of the Benevolent multifaceted, committed and Rather, he has had a major effect State.” He has also made important productive planners anywhere. As on the field in a number of areas, contributions to scholarship on a devoted planner and educator, he including racial discrimination, housing in Eastern Europe. has worked extensively inside and housing policy, comparative outside academia and government planning and globalization. Peter’s recent works focus on to promote the highest ethical spatial divisions within cities. Also standards for the profession. He has Peter’s first major published piece, in important and widely cited is his also been a consistent advocate for the Journal of the American Institute of theoretical approach to the differing social justice. Planners (predecessor to the Journal meanings of neighborhood of the American Planning Association) homogeneity in neighborhoods The following review of Peter’s dealt with professional ethics, and with different social composition. scholarship, teaching excellence his interest in the subject has been This work reveals the connections and service in the field of planning ongoing. Peter’s writings on the between urban development and shows how significant his ethics of the planning profession globalization. His two edited books contributions have been. have been widely assigned in urban in this area have been seminal in planning programs and have helped developing this relationship. Marcuse the Scholar to shape the profession. He has pressed the American Institute of Frankly, the variety of subjects that Peter’s contribution to human Certified Planners (AICP) to improve Marcuse has studied and written settlements research, thinking and implement its professional code about makes any summary difficult. and practice is internationally of ethics. Despite this substantial scholarly recognized. He has written on a output and range of interests, Peter broad variety of topics and his Peter has consistently critiqued U.S. has been consistently guided in his work has been widely cited across housing programs and developed scholarship by a commitment to Also in this section: Peter Marcuse and What We Can Learn from Peter Marcuse: “Think Critically, Act Critically!” by Jacqueline Leavitt (p. 9) Changing Times, Changing Planning: Critical Planning Today Critical Planning by Peter Marcuse (p. 13) 6 Progressive Planning social justice. And his progressive Columbia and UCLA, Peter Peter has held a variety of public voice has been consistent, original has been a visiting professor at offices, including membership on and productive. universities around the world, the City Planning Commission of including in South Africa, East and Waterbury, Connecticut; president Teaching Excellence West Germany, Canada, Australia, of the City Planning Commission Hungary, Austria, Venezuela and of Los Angeles, California; and Peter taught at the University Brazil. He has also given guest chair of the Housing Committee of California, Los Angeles after lectures at many more universities, of Manhattan Community Board receiving his PhD, and since 1975 including in China, New Zealand, 9 in New York City. In Waterbury, he has been teaching at Columbia Portugal, France, Argentina, Israel, he helped spearhead a referendum University, where for many years England, Scotland, Wales, Croatia, establishing the procedure for the he was chair of the planning Vietnam, Singapore, Belgium, the use of governmental powers to program. Although now officially Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, improve blighted areas and served retired, Peter continues to teach Greece, Russia, Japan and Finland. as founding chair of the city’s anti- courses and is highly respected by His teaching has won widespread poverty agency (in the days of the his students. He has taught a great praise from students and colleagues federal War on Poverty). In his variety of subjects at the master’s for his conscientiousness in course work with local government he and PhD levels, reflecting the broad preparation, openness to the input always insisted that social factors be range of his scholarship. Subjects of others and the thoughtfulness in considered in planning and zoning include planning theory and which he presents his subject matter. decisions. In Los Angeles, he served ethics, housing and housing policy, on the Planning Commission in the comparative housing and planning Community Engagement early stages of development of the issues, social policy planning, city’s poly-nucleated long-range globalization issues and community Peter’s service to communities and plan. In New York City, he focused participation in planning, as well as the planning profession has been on the issue of the disposition of city- planning studios. extraordinary and exemplary for a owned property and was successful scholar. He has acted as amicus curiae in achieving the adoption of a Most recently he collaborated with (friend of the court) in housing cases, statement of principles committing a group of Columbia doctoral advisor to state and local governments the city to the redevelopment of students to edit the book Searching and framer of innovative policy city-owned property to meet the for the Just City (Routledge, 2009). approaches in places as disparate as needs of existing residents. He has In addition to his teaching at New York, Israel and South Africa. also been a consultant to the U.S. Marcuse on olympic Cities.... “Cities have pursued hosting the olympic games out of a variety of motivations, often more than one. absent from these motivations in recent years has been the original purpose of the games: to promote peace….When an iraqi soccer team took the field in thea thens olympics, there was no reference to the fact that their country had been invaded by a foreign power, the war was in fact being waged by participants in the games against the peoples of other participants. But then the games have become spectacle, entertainment, rather than a component of an international relationship among states and peoples based on universal moral principles.” “in the end, new York City’s olympics bid seems to be more about a huge real estate development on the far west side of Manhattan, anchored by a football stadium (and about the fixations of important people in government), than about olympic sports competitions or, certainly, than about peace, even at a city level.” From “New York City’s Olympic Bid—Why?” Progressive Planning 161, Fall 2004. no. 182 / WinTer 2010 7 Department of Housing and Urban chapter. He is one of the founders of his voice has persuaded many who Development, the New York State the Global Planning Educators Interest have served along with him or Division of Housing and Community Group (GPEIG). A few years ago, he subsequent to him on the innumerable Development and the City of New founded a group for New York City planning bodies and commissions for York’s Department of Housing urban scholars around the theme of which he has found the time. Preservation and Development. the right to the city. The group meets regularly and is linked with the Right Peter’s work was recognized by As an expert witness on planning issues, to the City Alliance, in which Planners two conferences in 2008 held in his Peter has testified or given affidavits Network serves as a resource group. honor. “The Right to the City: Radical in a number of important lawsuits, Urbanism” was held in New York including the Yonkers (NY) school The Legacy and Recognition of City and Berlin. Two issues of the desegregation case, the Department Peter Marcuse journal City: Analysis of Urban Trends, of Justice’s lawsuit against Island Culture, Theory, Policy, Action (v.13, Park (NY) for discrimination in the Peter Marcuse is known for his no. 2-3 & 4, 2009) discussed his work use of federal housing subsidies and extensive expertise in many areas of and legacy. The City editorial in issue for a number of low-income housing planning and his broad experience number 2-3 states, “The inspiration projects. He produced an important in analyzing the multifaceted for much of the work presented here affidavit and wrote a key article arguing challenges to sustainable and equitable is the continuing, theoretical and for the inclusion of social impacts in urbanization in many regions of the practical journey from Europe to environmental impact statements under world. He has been exceptional in North America (and back) provided New York State law. He is currently his ability to be both realistic and by the lawyer, planner and urban active on a number of housing and inspirational in his multiple writings, scholar Peter Marcuse—drawing on, planning issues in New York City, talks and service engagements. As a developing and applying the critical including the planning for Lower planner that has exemplified a lifelong theory and witness of his father Manhattan after 9/11, housing policy balance between thinking and acting, Herbert Marcuse.” and subsidies for low-rent housing.