Article Preview
Top1. Introduction
Fast advancements in human civilization in the recent decades pose specific, unprecedented challenges to public policy. In particular the rapid ICT development calls for appropriate response from public authorities. Sometimes it may even require a fundamental shift (replacement, renewal) of traditional procedures and attitudes.
This observation refers also to urban planning: profound changes in demography, social communication, lifestyle, consumer behaviours, power relations, technology, climate risks – to mention only the most obvious issues – exceed the capacity of conventional planning practices (see European Innovation… 2013, European Commission 2014). There is a pressing need for a new paradigm that would provide resilience and sustainable growth of today’s urban regions. Theoreticians and practitioners all over the world are searching for such new concepts that would support urban planning in addressing the emerging challenges.
In this article I will try to outline the strengths of “e-planning” in managing the emerging omnichannel services sector. E-planning is a concept developed and promoted by the authors publishing their works in “International Journal of E-Planning Research” (IJEPR) as well as in other journals. Its specific features, linking the online and offline realities seem to be particularly relevant for the discussion on the processes of online conversion of services.
The article aims at answering the following, interconnected questions:
- 1)
What is the nature of omnichannel services? In what are they different from traditional ones?
- 2)
How can public policy deal with conversion and hybridization of services? Are omnichannel services “plannable” or not?
- 3)
What does e-planning has to offer in terms of omnichannel services development?
This article is a reflective overview of the knowledge on conversion and hybridization of services and contemporary urban planning. It is situated on the intersection of economy of services sector and geography of land-use. It tries to link those domains on the ground of e-planning.
The article is divided into four sections. Starting from a literature review describing current transformations in the services sector it calls for a multi-channel approach in urban planning. Then e-planning features are discussed and eventually conclusions are drawn about the possible match between omnichannel services and e-planning qualities.