Integrating Complexity Theory into Planning: Truth or Dare?

Complexity. The word itself has already gained an important place in planning literature and practice. We find ourselves faced with many problems and phenomena that we are eager to call complex. It even looks like it is a fashion to state that we are living in a society that is ever growing in complexity. What is most prominent however is that we are increasingly recognizing the complexity of many problems and phenomena that we as planners have to deal with. In short, complexity has become a reality that we have come to acknowledge. And this is not without consequences to us planners. In this paper some crucial consequences of complexity theory on planning will be addressed. In doing so, four important implications of complexity theory on planning will be addressed, next to its basic influence on the way in which reality can be understood. The implications are, firstly, the way in which complexity theory can help us understand why uncertainty is unavoidable in planning. In the second place, complexity theory can be used to understand the importance of holistic and expansionistic approaches in planning. Thirdly, it helps us better understand the potential of learning processes in planning. And furthermore, complexity can be used as a criterion to planning-oriented action. Not just based on planning theoretical motives or based on practical experiences, but also based on complexity theory itself.