Multidimensional Land Use Classification and How it Evolved: Reflections on a Methodological Innovation in Urban Planning

That planning history is a thriving subject is evidenced by the continuing success of Society for American City and Regional Planning History (SACRPH) conferences and those of other planning history organizations. Its vigor is also proven by the many varieties of history that find a voice in these conferences: histories of famous city plans and of renowned planners, histories of state planning and of national planning agencies, and histories of great planning movements. Unfortunately, not all types of planning history are as well represented. Among the most neglected are methodological and conceptual histories. In this article, the author presents the story of a conceptual and methodological innovation in urban planning known as multidimensional land use classification. Since its appearance more than forty years ago, it has influenced the way planners think about land use as well as the manner in which land use data are organized. This article places multidimensional classification in its historical context and explains how and why it came to be from the standpoint of one who had a role in its development.