Lecture 1: Course introduction + Positioning spatial planning: a definition and first exploration
of the discipline (part 1) / Chapter 1 - Spatial planning
Definition: Spatial Planning is the planning of how and where space/land is used, by whom
and for what purposes. Such as the natural environment, the build environment. The people
and social facilities they use, the economy and legislation and policies.
“Spatial planning encompasses the search process for spatial design in a changed society
and making choices about how and where functions can be used (long term focus) plus the
reflection on this” & “Spatial planning: a ‘mirror’ of societal developments” (Kreukels, 1986)
Three elements seem to be crucial for an understanding of planning: public activity, future,
and space (in a wider or narrower sense)
Some relevant planning concepts: public activity, future, space
- Planning is always a public activity - but this is increasingly up for discussion
- Planning is always future-oriented - but is increasingly being equated with urban
management (you see a lot of short term)
- Planning is always about space - but is increasingly bound-up with socio-political
processes
1. Spatial planning and the future
The further away the future, the more uncertainty there will be. One of the tensions that are
encountered is the tension between inevitable uncertainties and necessary certainty.
Certainty is necessary in planning because it provides stability (mortgage for housing). This
certainty is in contrast with strategic ambiguity: allow organizations to deny certain
interpretations of their policy.
➔ So, there is a tension between certainty and flexibility in planning.
To deal with this tension, several methods and techniques are available to help the planner.
One of them is scenario planning. There are two types of scenario planning:
Projective vs prospective scenarios (exam question!?)
● Projective is forecasting and short-term (This scenario is based on the past and the
present. Starting from here and now, analyzing how the future could look like) - 2 yrs
Related to this is the time lag effect, events which occur later
● Prospective is backcasting and long-term (This starts with a vision of a desirable
future. We want to end up there… reasoning backwards) - 30 years
Both types of scenario methods are normative – but in different ways. Projective scenarios
can be manipulated by using different data and prospective scenarios are more progressive
in their normative character.
Future orientation: flexibility vs. (legal) certainty (Pagina 5 & 85)
- Dilemma: “a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously
acceptable or preferable”
- Planning needs flexibility because the future is to a large part uncertain
- Planning needs (legal) certainty because spatial interventions often have long-term
effects
- Strategic ambiguity: sometimes actors benefit from vagueness and procrastinating
choices
,Figures: Using future visions to determine a course of current action
● Systematic thinking about the future is an inherent part of spatial planning.
● It is a future oriented discipline: looking far ahead (long term!) and articulating a
desirable future. Motto: placing current action in the light of future objectives
● We don’t know the future… but we can think of one. So, we (spatial planners) think of
one, or even more
● Designing future courses of action (‘scenario’s) helps us making decisions NOW
An important factor in deciding the desirable future is public interest. Public interest is also
dynamic and constantly changing. Things like the Corona crisis or the economic collapse of
2008 have a massive impact on spatial planning. This implies that planning is never
‘finished’. Society and its interests (population, the numbers and types of housing) are
constantly changing: adaptation to a changing society is constantly needed. However,
balancing in planning is difficult.
● Even the future is to some extent already ‘bounded’: the past and the present
elements of the future. So, we are always ‘in transition’, and need to anticipate these
changes
● Planning exists because we can think of a future, and (reasonably…) govern towards
that
● Planning = future + design + governance
,Two perspectives on spatial planning (ruimtelijke ordening)
● As an academic discipline spatial planning (planologie)
● As a field of practice spatial development (ruimtelijke planning)
Question: are these fields related? Why or why not
● International literature: urban and regional planning (town and country planning)
Yes, these fields are closely related, but they differ in focus:
● Spatial planning as an academic discipline (Planologie): This perspective
emphasizes the theoretical, analytical, and research aspects of how space is
organized. It involves studying spatial patterns, urban development, and policy
impacts, often focusing on broader social, environmental, and economic theories.
● Spatial development as a field of practice (Ruimtelijke planning): This refers to the
practical application of spatial planning principles, involving the design and
implementation of strategies, policies, and projects to shape physical spaces. It deals
with real-world challenges like infrastructure, housing, and sustainability.
Both are connected as theory informs practice, and practical experiences feed back into
academic research. Together, they contribute to more informed and effective spatial
decision-making.
Recap of lecture 1, planning is:
➔ Adapting to a changing society
➔ Future-oriented (long-term) - Planning is for the longer future
➔ Creative (planner as mediator)
➔ Process-oriented (e.g. the role of the citizen) how to get from A to B or C
➔ Action-oriented (implementation, change) = Planning
➔ Contextual (context-sensitive)
, Lecture 2: Positioning spatial planning: a definition and first exploration of the discipline (pt.2)
2. Spatial planning is comprehensive, not sectoral (Space)
The main object in planning is a space or territory (neighborhood, municipality, region or a
state) and it differs from sectoral planning (agriculture, tourism, transport)
Sectoral planning involves a specific policy of a branch of public services (housing, etc.).
Spatial planning has the task of considering space comprehensively. Spatial planning must
consider and coordinate all sectoral planning activities. The distinction between sectoral and
spatial planning is partly a historical and partly an analytical distinction.
Space: comprehensive vs. sectoral planning
- Another dilemma in planning
- Sectoral efficiency: every sector (transport, economics, housing, nature, etc.)
oversees its own ‘domain’
- Integration often increases the problem-solving capacity of spatial planning
(multi-functional land use, ‘unsought’ solutions to complex spatial problems)
- Integration can also be seen as a form of strategic ambiguity
3. Planning as a public activity – the trias politica
Planning is a public activity that is concerned with spatial development. The definition of
Spatial Planning according to Voogd: “the systematic preparation of policymaking and
relevant actions for implementing policy, aimed at consciously intervening in the spatial
development, including the organization of these interventions, in order to preserve and
improve spatial quality” vs the book: “The systematic preparation of policy-making and
