Lecture 1 + Savini et al 2015 / Low 2005 Flashcards
Discuss some definitions of infrastructure
Permanent foundation of essential elements of a structure/system.
Jochimsen (1966)
Infrastructure includes:
material infrastructure (physical elements);
institutional infrastructure (organizations, regulations);
personal infrastructure (people)
- Linden & Voogd (2004):
Infrastructure is the built fabric of
public spaces, institutions, facilities and services
Out of what components does infrastructure consist regarding to Weber and Alfen
- Physical/networked
- Institutions, governance
- Individual vs public
- soc. economic livability
Name some characteristics of infrastructure
It’s a common good
huge investments
comprehensiveness, networks
inflexible
long-lasting
citizen right
No market
Why are there problems in infrastructure planning?
money, time, quality, parties, characteristics:
* citizens right: sizeable part of citizens’ budgets
* we use it but can’t provide it
* long term influence on society and environment
* Multi-dimensional challenges – environmental, financial, technical, resource
stress, demand growth
* Affects most citizens (quantity and quality)
=> many parties involved (NIMBY
Why is environment difficult to define?
It depends on culture. you could mean the nature or human environment for example. but also the green vs grey environment. biotic vs abiotic type shit.
Why is there a tension between infrastructure and the environment?
conflicting interests:
* Development vs protection
* Intrusive vs sensitive functions
* Impacts of construction, operation, maintenance
* Negative & positive impacts on economy, space, society
* Scarcity of space !
* Difference in dynamics !
–> Need for (governmental) planning
What is planning?
The process of preparing a set of decisions for
action in the future directed at achieving goals by preferable means”.
well-considered intervention in the socio-physical environment
Closely related to:
* Decision-making:
process of choice which leads to action (Simon 1957)
* Policy-making:
Policy is a goal or a set of goals (‘ what ought to be’ )
to govern the course of action and decision-making
(‘ what is’) (Mayda, 1996)
* (Project) Management:
control and organizing of an activity (a project and/or
organization).
`Why is planning a paradox?
Because of a structural tension between organization and spontaneity.
Name dilemmas in infrastructure planning.
Infrastructure vs environment
short term - vs long term
room for development vs protection
general vs individual interests
government vs market driven
sector vs integrated approach
strategic vs operational decision-making
strategic vs operational decision-making
rational planning vs political, social processes.
Explain what path dependency is. and Name the three forms of path dependency by Low et al. 2005 and explain them
phenomenon whereby history matters: what has occurred in the past persists because of resistance to change.
- technical: historical trajectory of policy is locked into a particular technical form of production or service delivey.
- institutional: organizational structures and formal rules influence the path of policy
- discursive: discourse networks shape a policy path. Assumptions and beliefs about structure of problems to be solved.
What are institutions?
‘the formal or informal procedures, routines, norms and conventions embedded in
the organizational structure of the polity or political economy’
What is a discourse network according to Low et al 2005?
The interconnectedness of ideas, decision-makers and their mental models of reality.
Explain what kind of physical networks there are.
Internal networks: network strategies, hedging, flexible, centralized/decentralized
External networks: focus not only on the network itself but also in relation to other networks, the surrounding environment, disciplines and policy fields.
Savini et al. (2015): Which planning dilemma is today demarcated
by the 2 trends of ‘increased desire to guide urban change towards
desirable future scenarios’ and ‘the belief that planning has to
enable self-organization and ensure that urban space will be
tailored to the use of current and future inhabitants’? (Savini et al.,
2015, pp. 301-302).
a) The investment dilemma
b) The regulation dilemma
c) The intervention dilemma
d) The vulnerability dilemma
c
What is the intervention dilemma?
When planners need to choose when en where to intervene in a city.
stems from the fact that:
- if planning pursues an open view of space and time in an intervention, it is unlikely to impact on wider
urban and regional dynamics
- if it defines space and time in an intervention, it becomes selective and thus excludes unpredicted
possibilities
