ABSTRACT

Planning support systems (PSS), as geo-information technology instruments, have been developed to support planning as urban planning is becoming highly complex. Recent advances in new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the context of smart cities have provided new potentials to enrich PSS-support functions, but they do not constitute a “silver bullet;” in fact, PSS’s potential roles in practice are impeded by fundamental and structural factors. This article argues that the evolving perceptions of planning together with the changing roles of PSS in supporting planning provide the foundations for solving these structural restrictions. It presents a genealogical exploration of planning thoughts and associated PSS supports over the past 70 years, which is cross-checked by the results of expert interviews. The analysis indicates that for a factual planning supportive role: (1) the focus on the urban planning issue at hand should be strengthened, since it determines the planning mode and the relevant PSS choice; (2) there is a need for a user-centered, demand-induced approach toward PSS developments in planning, aimed at better serving the real needs of PSS users and planning practices; and (3) and there is also a need for more sensitivity toward contextual factors in PSS developments and applications, since the specific contextual characteristics help to identify the complexity faced by planners and influence the relevant planning rationality and specific PSS to be applied. This article thus highlights the importance of considering planning support as a socio-technical innovation shaped through challenges in urban contexts and the relevant planning approaches applied to handle these challenges. Further recommendations are proposed for PSS developments and applications in future planning practice.

摘要

随着城市规划变得越来越复杂，规划支持系统 (PSS) 作为地理信息技术工具已被开发用于支持规划。智慧城市背景下新信息和通信技术 (ICT) 的最新进展为丰富 PSS 支持功能提供了新的潜力，但它们并不构成“灵丹妙药”；事实上，PSS 在实践中的潜在作用受到基本面和结构性因素的阻碍。本文认为，规划观念的演变以及 PSS 在支持规划中的角色变化为解决这些结构性限制提供了基础。它展示了过去 70 年来规划思想和相关 PSS 支持的系谱探索，并通过专家访谈的结果进行了交叉检查。分析表明，对于实际规划的支持作用：（1）应加强对当前城市规划问题的关注，因为它决定了规划模式和相关的PSS选择；(2) 在规划中需要以用户为中心、以需求为导向的 PSS 发展方法，旨在更好地满足 PSS 用户的实际需求和规划实践；(3) 在 PSS 开发和应用中，还需要对环境因素更加敏感，因为特定的环境特征有助于识别规划者面临的复杂性，并影响相关规划的合理性和要应用的特定 PSS。因此，本文强调了将规划支持视为通过城市环境中的挑战形成的社会技术创新以及用于应对这些挑战的相关规划方法的重要性。对 PSS 在未来规划实践中的发展和应用提出了进一步的建议。