Abstract
Three popular misconceptions about the systems approach as relating to urban planning are discussed: the Myth of Ubiquity, according to which the systems approach is to be found in any systematic working method used in urban analysis and planning; the Myth of Technocracy, according to which the systems approach is promoted by those wishing to see society run by computers; and the Messianic Myth, which is based on the belief that the systems approach will ultimately provide a solution to all our planning problems. The arguments supporting each of these myths are refuted in part and a more qualified view of the role of the systems approach in planning emerges. It appears that even more than any conceptual difficulties surrounding the systems approach, the continuing confusion as regards the nature and scope of planning is chiefly responsible for the uneasy relationship between the two fields.
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© 1982 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, The Hague
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Couclelis, H. (1982). Planning and the Systems Approach: Exploding Some Myths, Creating a Reality. In: Laconte, P., Gibson, J., Rapoport, A. (eds) Human and Energy Factors in Urban Planning: A Systems Approach. NATO Advanced Study Institutes Series, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7651-1_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7651-1_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-009-7653-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-7651-1
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