A pragmatic phenomenological approach in environmental planning

A pragmatic phenomenological approach in environmental planning Preface This thesis is the result of a year of research into the philosophical backgrounds of the design of our landscape. The main challenge was the integration of philosophical theories and ideas with concrete issues of environmental planning. My interest in both abstract theorising and concrete changes in the landscape led to a thesis that starts in the landscape, moves upwards to the high regions of philosophical abstraction, and descends back to earth in the end. My computer science background certainly helped in creating a coherent model of the involved concepts and their relations to one another. When one is designing a software system, the recognition of these concepts and relations is one of the most important tasks, and it determines the whole architecture of the system. The same happens in philosophy, although the tool that is developed does not operate as a software system here, but as a means for people to describe what is happening in our lives. I want to thank everyone that helped in some way making the writing of this thesis manageable, easier, or just fun. Family and friends have been a great support in times when I did not see how something concrete could emerge from all this thinking, and some have repeatedly reminded me of the worth of the intellectual task in itself. Special thanks to Iwan, who more than anyone seems to recognise the value of new ideas even if they are not so easy to keep standing for. Thanks also to Theo, whose enthusiasm made the hours I worked for the computer science department a pleasant change in the daily rhythm. Of course, this thesis would not have been possible with the cooperation and assistance of my supervisors, who considerably improved the quality of the work with their extensive comments. Last but not least, therefore, I want to thank Peter-Paul, Petran and Anton for their ideas, criticism and support. Picture front page: The A50 highway from Veluwezoom National Park 2 A pragmatic phenomenological approach in environmental planning