Design and scenario: building blocks for an ecological perspective of self-organisation

No ISBNThe paper addresses civic self-organisation in its relation to the role of design in particular and to future explorations in general. It uses this assessment to identify opportunities and conditions for social media and technology. Addressing self-organisation contributes to a vision on people-environment relationships that is guided by values of sustainable development, social innovation and spatial quality. In this, the metaphor of ‘living cities’ invites to frame the challenges, missions and endeavours of spatial planners within a three-fold ecology: biophysical, social and mental regimes of multiple, multi-scalar and multi-dimensional structures, cultures and routines. The basic research questions are: Which roles can different heuristics in future explorations play in long-term, open, cyclical, inclusive planning processes, i.e. processes that create an openness towards civic self-organisation? What kinds of conditions are crucial for design, social media and technology in order to play a constitutive role in participatory, social innovative processes? Concepts of self-organisation are analysed and refined, based on literature from both planning theory and urban design theory. We focus on two cases (i.e. Schorvoort/ SPINDUS, Denderbekken/ Steunpunt Ruimte), both of which make integration and interaction a crucial part of the research. In both cases ‘ecology’ is envisioned as an overarching metaphor.status: publishe