ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

Spatial Planning Technologies as Procedural Instruments of Policy Integration to Address Cross-Sectoral Issues: From a Perspective of Boundary Objects

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Oral Track 10 | THEORIES

Speaker

Prof. Wei-Ju Huang (Department of Urban Planning, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan)

Description

Modern spatial planning faces increasing complexity due to the relational dynamics of the network society and the pressures of neoliberalism. Traditional top-down or bottom-up planning approaches are insufficient to address cross-sectoral challenges, as sector-specific plans often prioritise economic competitiveness over broader spatial equity. To avoid reinforcing uneven development, spatial planning must evolve into a tool for policy integration, fostering alignment across sectors and addressing shared goals through collaborative and inclusive methods.

Policy integration, in this context, involves establishing shared knowledge systems and addressing cross-sectoral boundaries to achieve multidimensional cooperation, coordination, and/or collaboration. The concept of 'boundary objects', derived from actor-network theory, provides a framework for developing approaches to improve cross-sectoral policy integration. Boundary objects facilitate translation, negotiation, and coordination among diverse stakeholders, enabling shared understanding and cooperation.

This study integrates the concept of boundary objects with a processual understanding of policy integration, emphasising asynchronous and multidimensional integration across policy frames, subsystems, goals, and instruments. By combining these frameworks, the research identifies planning technologies, such as spatial translation of sectoral policies, layering analysis and scenario-based discussion, that function as useful boundary objects making tacit knowledge explicit between sectors and helping sectors recognise their interconnectedness, align their goals, and co-create shared knowledge and solutions to complex spatial issues.

Using national spatial planning in the Netherlands as a case study, the research examines how these planning technologies can support policy integration. A relational planning toolkit is developed to address cross-sectoral challenges, detailing the types and functions of boundary objects required for varying levels of integration. The case study demonstrates the application of this toolkit, followed by a critical evaluation of its outcomes and limitations. These insights contribute to theoretical advancements and practical strategies for enhancing policy integration in spatial planning.