Among other traits, science-minded planners must seriously reflect on what it is they know about their field, seeking good reasons and solid evidence for why they accept those things, writes Jodie Sackett, a Los Angeles County urban planner.

A planner who develops new theories and tests them, can find hypotheses hidden within typical planning-related statements (such as objectives, principles, and policies); comprehends the difference between a statement that is self-evident and one that is not; and understands that there are no absolute proofs in science "just might be an urban scientist" according to L.A. County urban planner Jodie Sackett.
Sackett goes on to share several (sometimes fun) "markers" that planners can use to help determine if they are science-oriented thinkers, from "progressivism" to the "fountain of rational inquiry" to the ability to see "failure as victory."
FULL STORY: Are You an Urban Scientist?

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