All rights reservedYang, Yi-ChenHuang, Wei-Ju2024-10-032024-10-032016978-85-7785-551-1https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14235/2046Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the southFor two decades, some planning scholars have tried to apply the concept of institutionalism in the studies of planning theory, but most of them mainly focus on how institutional innovation occur in a particular place, or how planning systems vary in different places (for example Pasty Healey, Bishwapriya Sanyal, and so on). Recently, Andre Sorensen proposes a historical institutional (HI) research agenda in planning theory. He argues that applying the HI approach to study the development of planning institutions in a particular place or to compare planning systems in different places can strengthen their theoretical framing and provide meaningful connections between physical and social phenomena. However, applicability of the approach and its contributions in planning studies remains further exploration. In light of this, this study aims to explore the potential of the HI approach in planning research via investigating the transformation process of planning institutions in Tainan City, Taiwan after a city-county consolidation. Historical institutionalist provides a systematical way to analyze what contribute to the institutional change or path dependence after critical junctures. Historical institutionalism is best known for the concept of ‘path dependence’ and ‘critical junctures’. According to Sorensen (2015, p. 21), ’[t]he core idea of path dependence is that, once established, some institutions tend to become increasingly difficult to change over time, and so small choices early on can have significant long-term impacts.’EnglishopenAccessconferenceObject1074-1076