Spatial planning

When I first became interested in in-depth case-study research, I was trying to understand how power and rationality shape each other and form the urban environments in which we live (Flyvbjerg, 1998). It was clear to me that in order to understand a complex issue like this, in-depth case-study research was necessary. It was equally clear, however, that my teachers and colleagues kept dissuading me from employing this particular research methodology.

Taken together, the works of Jurgen Habermas and Michel Foucault highlight an essential tension in modernity. This is the tension between the normative and the real, between what should be done and what is actually done. Understanding this tension is crucial to understanding modern democracy, what it is and what it could be. It has been argued that an effective way of making democracy stronger is to strengthen civil society. This article contains a comparative analysis of the central ideas of Habermas and Foucault as they pertain to the question of democracy and civil society. More specifically, the discourse ethics of Habermas is contrasted with the power analytics and ethics of Foucault evaluating their usefulness for those interested in understanding, and bringing about, democratic social change.

Back cover text: Making Social Science Matter presents an exciting new approach to social science, including theoretical argument, methodological guidelines, and examples of practical application. Why has social science failed in attempts to emulate natural science and produce normal theory? Bent Flyvbjerg argues that the strength of social science is in its rich, reflexive analysis of values and power, essential to the social and economic development of any society. Richly informed, powerfully argued, and clearly written, this book provides essential reading for all those in the social and behavioral sciences.

The article first describes characteristics of major infrastructure projects. Second, it documents a much neglected topic in economics: that ex ante estimates of costs and benefits are often very different from actual ex post costs and benefits. For large infrastructure projects the consequences are cost overruns, benefit shortfalls, and the systematic underestimation of risks. Third, implications for cost–benefit analysis are described, including that such analysis is not to be trusted for major infrastructure projects. Fourth, the article uncovers the causes of this state of affairs in terms of perverse incentives that encourage promoters to underestimate costs and overestimate benefits in the business cases for their projects. But the projects that are made to look best on paper are the projects that amass the highest cost overruns and benefit shortfalls in reality. The article depicts this situation as ‘survival of the unfittest’. Fifth, the article sets out to explain how the problem may be solved, with a view to arriving at more efficient and more democratic projects, and avoiding the scandals that often accompany major infrastructure investments. Finally, the article identifies current trends in major infrastructure development. It is argued that a rapid increase in stimulus spending, combined with more investments in emerging economies, combined with more spending on information technology is catapulting infrastructure investment from the frying pan into the fire.

Monitoring is a challenging and fundamental issue within planning processes, yet there is little understanding as to whether plans achieved their goals in guaranteeing sustainable development on a territorial level. Follow-up of spatial planning is rather difficult due to insufficient methodologies, deficiencies in plans’ contents and resource limitations. The main goal of this research is to develop and test a conceptual framework to support the development of effective indicator based regional spatial plans’ (RSPs) monitoring systems. The conceptual framework includes indicators with distinct purposes and has the following features: (i) it establishes links between RSPs, their strategic environmental assessment and monitoring indicators; (ii) it incorporates the contribution of other existing monitoring systems in the regions; and (iii) it defines specific indicator selection criteria. In order to inform the development of the conceptual framework we: (i) review international practice of RSP monitoring; (ii) analyse the features of current Portuguese RSPs; (iii) test the conceptual framework using the RSP and the regional sustainability indicator system of the Algarve region (Portugal) as a case study. Two types of indicators were developed – output/implementation and results/effects – for improving the identification of cause-effect relationships between RSP implementation and associated territorial effects; although this is a continuing challenge, given the strategic nature of RSPs. The usefulness of the conceptual framework was demonstrated in the definition of monitoring indicators for the Algarve's RSP, as well as in the integration of an existing regional sustainability monitoring system.

Back cover text: If the new fin de siècle marks a recurrence of the real, Bent Flyvbjerg’s Rationality and Power epitomizes that development and sets new standards for social and political inquiry. The Danish town of Aalborg is to Flyvbjerg what Florence was to Machiavelli: a laboratory for understanding the real workings of power, and for grasping what they mean to our more general concerns of social and political organization. Politics, administration, and planning are examined in ways that allow  a rare, in-depth understanding. The reader witnesses, firsthand, the classic and endless drama which defines what modernity and democracy are and can be.

This paper is an exploration of the effects of spatial influences on the human body, mind and spirit.  Spatial influences include natural and man-made environmental structures and fields.  The question asked is whether spatial realities have a psychological, biological and transpersonal impact.  The quest to answer this question will include reflections on the author's personal perceptions that led to the asking of the question, a historical overview of the subject and an in depth review of six primary source research articles.  The purpose of this approach is to view the subject through three lenses of perception.  First, an inner directed focus is used, in the personal antecedents section, to reveal the relationship between the subject and myself, the observer.  In the historical overview, an outer directed wide angle lens is used to view the subject from a more global and systems perspective.  Finally, the literature review section seeks a more sharply focused and depth oriented view of the subject.