Introduction to the Handbook on Planning and Complexity

What planners should know: revolution and evolution are as real and essential to life as water and air. Revolution and evolution are expressions of change. We take the stand that spontaneous and autonomous change is a factor in the everyday environment we’re part of. In this chapter we explore the possibilities of making this kind of change part of the planners’ frame of reference. Traditionally planners’ concern is about effectively intervening in space and place, hence the desire for controlled environments. Contemporary planners also have a preference to act on the basis of consensus among the various parties involved, to create a world that is agreed upon. The message here is not that these approaches are bad or wrong, but, on the contrary, there’s more. The complexity sciences are a major source of inspiration for spatial planning, as these point out the importance of time, non-linearity, transformation and dynamics. That, together with the complexity sciences’ explaining power about co-evolutionary processes and processes of self-organization, for example within the urban environment, make the complexity sciences relevant to planners. On the other hand, this chapter also emphasizes being critical, as intentional change made by purposeful interventions remain a necessity. Also, the complexity sciences have a preference for quantitative data, while intersubjective interaction has proven its value to planning and should remain key to planning actions and the planning discipline. When it comes to mutual inspiration between planning and complexity, this chapter takes into account both opportunities and threats.