Rethinking Leadership in Urban Planning

Administrative Practice Under Institutional Tension

Bibliographic Data

ID19477221
AuthorsMari Jaakonaho (0000-0002-5069-6363, Tampere University, corresponding author), Z Bergman (0000-0002-9773-2472, Social Research and Methodology Group, Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland)
Year2026
Pages1-16
Publication date2026-05-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePlanning Theory & Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-9357 • E-ISSN: 1470-000X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649357.2026.2663880
OpenAlexW7160949506
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited33

Administrative leadership plays a critical role in navigating institutional complexity in urban planning, yet remains underdeveloped in planning research. This study examines how administrative leadership is practiced and articulated in public–private planning contexts under conditions of institutional tension. Drawing on 38 interviews with public- and private-sector professionals in Finland, the analysis identifies tensions and the leadership practices that navigate them. The findings show that administrative leadership is often enacted without being explicitly named, rendering it institutionally present but discursively muted. The article contributes to planning theory by foregrounding administrative leadership as an organizational dimension of statutory planning governance

Bureaucracy · Leadership style · Public Policy and Administration Research · Urban Planning and Governance · Urbanization and City Planning

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access