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The synoptic and dynamic paradigms of city planning : re-interpreting planning methods through Newtonian physics and chaos theory Heap, Nicholas Ian
Abstract
The goal of city planning is the ordering of the city. Modern city planners have adopted a particular paradigm of order, originally developed during the Industrial Revolution when the profession of city planning came into existence. This "synoptic" planning method replaced traditional views of order with a new world-view which stressed a 'scientific' understanding of natural ordering processes. Because the natural ordering processes described by Newtonian physics were the only ones known to Victorian science, city planners have subsequently understood scientifically-valid 'order' to be limited to that produced by "Newtonian systems". The characteristics of Newtonian systems are examined in the thesis, and are related to specific aims and assumptions of synoptic planning as revealed in examples of theory and practice. Since the late 1950's, many practical and theoretical shortcomings of the synoptic planning method have become apparent. While there have been many attempts to reform the practice of synoptic planning, its fundamental reliance upon the axioms of linear dynamical systems has barely been acknowledged, let alone questioned. As a result, none of the reforms suggested in planning methods to date have managed to resolve the profession's current crisis of faith. However, recent scientific discoveries have been made regarding a second type of natural ordering processes, popularly termed "chaos", and referred to as "Lorenzian systems" within the thesis. Given that Lorenzian systems are order-creating processes, and that city planning seeks to promote order, this thesis argues that in addition to "synoptic" planning, there could additionally be a method of "dynamic" planning based upon the characteristics of Lorenzian systems. Consequently, the characteristics of Lorenzian systems are also explored, and their axioms are extrapolated to create a hypothetical method of "dynamic" planning. Independent precedents in planning theory and practice which accord with the aims and assumptions derived for this hypothetical method are employed to demonstrate the plausibility of dynamic planning. Because dynamic planning may well prove similarly ineffective in important areas of city planning, the thesis concludes that dynamic planning should be seen as a useful adjunct to, but not a replacement for, synoptic planning.
Item Metadata
Title |
The synoptic and dynamic paradigms of city planning : re-interpreting planning methods through Newtonian physics and chaos theory
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1997
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Description |
The goal of city planning is the ordering of the city. Modern city planners have
adopted a particular paradigm of order, originally developed during the Industrial
Revolution when the profession of city planning came into existence. This "synoptic"
planning method replaced traditional views of order with a new world-view which
stressed a 'scientific' understanding of natural ordering processes. Because the natural ordering processes described by Newtonian physics were the only ones known to Victorian science, city planners have subsequently understood scientifically-valid 'order' to be limited to that produced by "Newtonian systems". The characteristics of Newtonian systems are examined in the thesis, and are related to specific aims and assumptions of synoptic planning as revealed in examples of theory and practice.
Since the late 1950's, many practical and theoretical shortcomings of the synoptic
planning method have become apparent. While there have been many attempts to reform
the practice of synoptic planning, its fundamental reliance upon the axioms of linear dynamical systems has barely been acknowledged, let alone questioned. As a result, none of the reforms suggested in planning methods to date have managed to resolve the profession's current crisis of faith. However, recent scientific discoveries have been made regarding a second type of natural ordering processes, popularly termed "chaos", and referred to as "Lorenzian systems" within the thesis. Given that Lorenzian systems are order-creating processes, and that city planning seeks to promote order, this thesis argues that in addition to "synoptic" planning, there could additionally be a method of "dynamic" planning based upon the
characteristics of Lorenzian systems. Consequently, the characteristics of Lorenzian systems are also explored, and their axioms are extrapolated to create a hypothetical method of "dynamic" planning. Independent precedents in planning theory and practice
which accord with the aims and assumptions derived for this hypothetical method are
employed to demonstrate the plausibility of dynamic planning.
Because dynamic planning may well prove similarly ineffective in important areas of
city planning, the thesis concludes that dynamic planning should be seen as a useful
adjunct to, but not a replacement for, synoptic planning.
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Extent |
11368455 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-03-20
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0087744
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1997-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
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Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.