I did a talk to the IPA on developing your own planning style. I asked a bunch of planners I rated to describe their planning style which was rather interesting. So here is the bits of the presentation that quote different planners talking about this.

1. developing your
own planning style

3. David Bain, Richard Storey,
Malcolm White, Neil Goodland,
Charlie Snow, Guy Murphy, Giles Hedger
and Richard Huntington

4. I would describe both as gonzo
David Bain

5. One eternal objective

7. Better beginnings

8. instinctively rigorous
Giles Hedger

9. simple
enthusiasm
Charlie Snow

10. I see the truth as my client and I
ask difficult questions in order to
get to it. And somehow people
seem to trust me
Guy Murphy

11. Uncomplicated
Neil Goodlad

12. Malcolm White

13. Richard Storey

14. 1.
I inevitably aim for obvious. It can be a
criticism (its a bit obvious isn’t it) but the
right kind of obvious can be dynamite

15. 2.
There is a style of planning based on
understanding, mirroring and reflecting what
people think (you love football we love
football). I instinctively aim to change the
way people think (we are not a drugs
company we are the enemies of disease)

16. 3.
There is also the ‘dress it up in fancy talk
to make it look clever’ approach. I am at
the opposite end the spectrum from that

17. I look for what’s interesting not
what is right
Me

18. make your limitation
your selling point

19. style not just substance