The Programming Approach and the Regional Science: A critical reappraisal

Abstract In this paper (a reappraisal of a subject already discussed in a paper presented at the 34° Congress of the ERSA in Groeningen) the thesis is argued that, despite some favourable beginnings towards an integration between planning and regional science in the past two or three decades, the marriage has not actually taken place, and an "ambiguous relationship" has in fact developed. The reason for this is found in the inappropriate scientific development of planning science and theory, and also in a difficult adoption by all social disciplines (economics, sociology, political sciences) -and thus also by regional scienceof a rigorous and authentic programming approach. Here we discuss the theoretical obstacles which have impeded the development of a meta-disciplinarity of regional science (as Alonso hoped in 1968), and the passing from the "positive-normative" approach, also prevalent in regiona