ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

Urban Science and Emerging Planning Science in the Context of Complexity Thinking

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Oral Track 10 | THEORIES

Speaker

Mr Ziwen Huang (Zhejiang Univesity,China)

Description

In the age of planetary crisis, factors influencing urban development have become increasingly intricate. A deep understanding of complexity is crucial for accurately assessing these factors. The influence of complexity theory on urban and planning studies has long been recognized. Complexity theory, which took shape in the 1940s, has provided a foundation for complex theories of cities (CTC) and urban science. Planning science was followed by and was explored under the influence of both complexity theory and urban science. Against this backdrop, we attempt to reflect on the establishment process of urban science and explore the possibilities of establishing planning science by firstly reviewing two important factors in the development of urban science. One is the formation and development of urban complexity cognition, and the other is the evolution of tools for analyzing urban complexity. Next, we explore how complexity thinking has been integrated into the development of planning research.
The development of complexity theory has constantly provided fresh theoretical foundations for urban science. Early scholars grounded urban science on examining static urban complexity. Over time, self-organization theories such as dissipative theory, synergetic theory, and catastrophe theory have led to the emergence of the concept of self-organizing cities. Later, the concept of complex adaptive systems (CAS) in complexity science was used to understand and analyze cities and their internal elements, promoting research progress in CTC. Regarding the application of complexity analysis tools, while early urban studies predominantly relied on static models, such as the semi-grid urban structure, advancements in complexity theory have shifted the focus toward dynamic models and collaborative strategies that utilize diverse analytical tools, including analytical models using cellular automata or multi-agent systems. These dynamic models contribute significantly to the establishment of new urban science by providing various modeling tools and offering innovative frameworks for urban analysis. They also present a new perspective on the urban issues of the 21st century.
Planning research started borrowing concepts from complexity science later than urban studies did. As early as the 1960s, planning studies absorbed relevant theories from systems science, leading to the development of system planning theory. By the late 1990s, planning research began to learn from complexity theory and to apply the urban complexity analysis tools developed by urban research scholars. Complexity science has significantly influenced collaborative rational planning at that time, with adaptability, a hallmark of CAS, emerging as a central theme in collaborative planning frameworks. Complexity theory reveals that human-dominated cities are evolving open system. Consequently, planning cognition has started to transition from a static approach to a more dynamic one.
Since planning research has already embraced complexity, concepts such as adaptation, nonlinearity, and evolution will become key in future studies. Corresponding complexity analysis tools tailored to specific and micro-level planning issues are likely to emerge. This will help establish a planning system based on complexity, thereby forming a complete system of planning science.

References

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