The future of Paris: a systems study in strategic urban planning

Abstract

The paper is based on a study conducted by the author (under contract to the French Government) concerning the possible roles and functions of Paris during the next thirty years. New findings regarding the interactions which emerge between the definition of complex, ill-structured problems — the ‘problematique' - and planning methodology are reported on, and a generalizable planning approach that synthesizes the most recent thinking in the field, both at the theoretical and the methodological levels, will be discussed. The introductory section covers the background of the Paris Project, and elaborates the notion of ‘problematique' The second section outlines the deductive-heuristic approaches that systems theory seems to require when applied to problems which have overlapping boundaries. This is followed by a discussion of the relatively new concepts of ‘ normative ’ planning and ‘ idealized ’ design that underlie any strategic considerations when the decision-context is a situation of great complexity. The concluding portions deal with relations between the ideas of purpose and function, and the implications of such relations for national policy.