Systems Thinking and Decision Making in Urban and Environmental Planning

Current systems thinking in urban and environmental planning provides ways to consider hidden forces behind both planned and consequential changes, in order that we can express, check, and clarify our mental models of the structure and function of these systems.

In this path-breaking book, Anastassios Perdicoulis progresses the conception and expression of the planning problem as an 'extended mental model'. In doing so he concisely expresses the essential elements of strategic planning (conditions, objectives, action) in a visual form which both stimulates and clearly communicates reasoning. As a result, concerns, defined objectives, and corresponding actions are uniquely linked. He goes on to illustrate how the structural and functional organization of the target system extends naturally into the planning process, and how decision-making therefore becomes based on systems learning.

This challenging book will enhance the ability of spatial planners of all levels, especially students and newly qualified professionals, to prepare effective plan proposals. Strategy consultants will also find it a useful tool in preparing improved plan proposals and communicating more effectively with clients. Additionally, the book will assist government bodies to focus on the crux of development problems and reach balanced decisions more quickly. The enhanced problem formulation method presented in this volume is sure to prove an invaluable tool for researchers, students, and consultants in related fields including: operations research, system dynamics, business management, impact assessment, landscape architecture and environmental engineering.