TEACHING URBAN PLANNING THROUGH THE METAPHORICAL PRISM OF COMPLEXITY SCIENCE

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TEACHING URBAN PLANNING THROUGH THE METAPHORICAL
PRISM OF COMPLEXITY SCIENCE

• Michael Andrew McADAMSSinan KOCAMANFatih
  KARAMehmet KARAKUYU
• Geography Department
• Fatih University
• Istanbul, Turkey

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Introduction

• Urban environment is collection of an
  incredible variety of interrelated elements both
  human and physical.
• Built environment is the result of these
  activities within an urban area
• Incongruence between the actual urban
  reality which is complex and non-linear and the
  application of linear rationalist planning
  methods (long range plans, Euclidean zoning etc.)
  to solve urban problemsShould we be
  instructing future urban planners with theories ,
  methodolgies, procedures and worldviews that have
  obviously become arcane?

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The Advent of Complexity Theory and Complex
Systems

• Quietly and steadily developing and in contrast
  to modern science based on logical positivism is
  research and methodologies associated with
  complexity theory.
• However, its use in the analysis of urban areas
  has only within the last 15 years (i.e., fractal
  analysis, cellular automata). Opened up the
  discipline of urban geography to the discipline
  of complex theory and complex system including
  fractals, chaos, neural networks, agent-based
  modeling, cellular automata, and fuzzy logic.

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Metaphors as a Prism

• In this transitory stage in scientific thought
  where there are multiple threads on complexity
  theory (including complex systems), there needs
  to a medium to understand the overall concept of
  complexity theory.
• It would appear that there is an emerging
  'language', which can be applied both to
  complexity theory as applied to mathematics and
  in the social sciences.
• This 'language' is appearing in the form of
  metaphors. These metaphors are allowing for the
  development of a new cosmology which is proving
  to be robust to confront a myriad of situations,
  which were unaddressable or inadequately

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Complexity Theory, Complex Systems and Chaos

• Characteristics of Complexity
• interconnected parts and not understood and not
  understood by examination of the parts, but how
  the parts work together non-linear or
  non-mechanistic relationships
• dynamic
• Chaos is the state that is between stable states
• All chaotic events by their innate natural
  complex

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Purpose of Metaphors

• Ashkenazi (2006) states
• Metaphors play an important role in science, as
  well. In science, metaphor is a tool of
  exploration and discovery, providing a way of
  imposing or discovering structure within novel or
  unfamiliar situations by relating them to
  familiar experiences. Metaphors such as
  electricity is a fluid or atoms are hard
  spheres are contextual cues that direct the
  scientists attention to look for details
  associated with fluids or hard spheres. Fluids
  can be associated with flow and conservation
  hard spheres with packing and random motion. Even
  if these metaphors are ultimately replaced by
  more elaborate mathematical models, they still
  guide the thoughts of practicing scientists when
  they try to make sense of a new experience.

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Complexity Metaphors

• Agents
• Chaos
• Emerging States
• Fractals
• Environment
• Fitness Landscape
• Self organization

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Implications for Urban Planning Curriculums

• Viewing the forces of urbanization with the
  context of complexity theory metaphors radically
  changes how urban planning operates.
• he linear aspect and the rigidness of long range
  planning is in direct opposition of the view of
  the complex aspect of an urban area. With the
  aspect that there is not one possible feasible
  alternative, but infinitely numerous one makes
  the 20 year long-range plan with a fixed land use
  plan a relic of modernism.

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Progression of Introductory Urban Planning Course

• History of Urban Planning
• Complexity Theory
• Complexity Systems Techniquesfractal
  analysiscellular automataagent-based
  modelingsimulation
• Relational Planning
• Urban planning areasPlanning Information Systems
• EnvironmentTransportation
• Industrial, Commerical, Residential Development
• Infrastructure

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• Urban planning areasPlanning Information
  Systems
• EnvironmentTransportation
• Industrial, Commerical, Residential Development
• Infrastructure

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Conclusion

• These subjects are sometimes unwieldy and
  difficult to merge in a coherent manner.
• Metaphors are not only just concepts or
  descriptions. They enable us to view reality in a
  different manner and enable change as individuals
  and as societies.
• Using the pyrism of complexity metaphors enable
  planning to be taught in a relevant and
  approachable manner