Ethical Dilemmas in Urban Studies

Abstract

This chapter discusses research into urban studies, and specifically how we might best frame the ethical issues which arise in, and through, such research. One of its central contentions is that ethical sensitivity is developed by researchers as part of a social practice, i.e. through communal activity of a particular kind. Therefore, important as it is to ensure that researchers are aware of their personal ethical responsibilities, understanding what the moral point of view requires—i.e. being sensitive to ethical issues, especially in new circumstances—is something which researchers acquire through involvement in appropriately conducted social practices. The chapter’s suggestion is that the notion of a social practice, as used by MacIntyre and others, is helpful in framing our thinking about research ethics in planning, because it places the individual’s acquisition and development of a moral perception, and judgements, within a social context. The chapter also explores whether the notion of a social practice can be usefully employed to distinguish between the ethical issues which arise in scholarly research in urban studies as opposed to those which arise in policy-related research in that field.