OPERATIONAL CONTEXT ANALYSIS Necessary part of design related

OPERATIONAL CONTEXT ANALYSIS Necessary part of design related study and research 3 rd IASME / WSEAS International Conference on ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, ECOSYSTEMS and SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (EEESD'07) Agios Nikolaos, Crete Island, Greece, July 24 -26, 2007 Prof. dr. ir. Taeke M. De Jong, chair Technical Ecology And Methodology, chair Regional Design 10/16/2021 1 Faculty of Architecture, department Urbanism

An architectural, urban or regional design is always a case study and (like any location bound project) consequently is: • scale-bound and very context sensitive • integrating many less context sensitive contributions: • probable futures of specialists • desirable futures of politicians, managers and stakeholders • together creating a field of problems to be solved and • a field of targets to be optimised • cannot isolate problems or targets like empirical research 10/16/2021 2

Context sensitive design • cannot isolate problems or targets like empirical research • cannot even formulate a proper object of study • since the object of study does not exist • since it has to be designed, • being variable in the head of the designer • searches for non-probable possibilities in a given context • on a specific level of scale 10/16/2021 3

Design related study • The object of design study is variable by definition • Social and physical context delimits that object • But ‘context’ is everything • How to get grip on that vague concept first? 10/16/2021 4

Getting grip on future context • distinguish: • Levels of scale (largest frame and smallest detail) • Layers of social and physical context • Language games supposing probable, desirable or possible future contexts 10/16/2021 5

LEVELS OF SCALE 1. The object of design is variable 2. But at least the order of size could be determined 3. Then, anything larger or smaller is ‘context’ 4. Determining ‘external variables’ with hidden assumptions: models for anything outside the object of study 5. But conclusions from outside and inside may differ: is a ball convex or is it concave? 10/16/2021 6

Scale paradox • On the level of one spot you should conclude ‘difference’ • On the level of 7 spots you should conclude ‘equality’ • Reversal of conclusions may appear by a factor 3 radius • So, the order of size determines your view 10/16/2021 7

Levels of scale to be aware of • Different scales mean different legend units, categories, views, approaches, conclusions 10/16/2021 8

Names and boundaries of size categories • In this presentation ‘nominal values’ indicate an order of size • They are ‘elastic’ • 10 m means something in between 3 m and 30 m 10/16/2021 9

A frame 100 x the granule of a drawing representing a building • r/R determines the resolution of a drawing or discourse, • the ‘resolution of the argument’ 10/16/2021 10

Locating a spatial object of design study within its context • If the scale (frame ‘O’ and granule ‘o’) of the object is determined, then the rest is context • The programme is a set of desired impacts 10/16/2021 11

The object (O, o) its inconvenient (I) and profitable (P) impacts located • The programme of requirements is a set of desired impacts • Locate them to locate the stakeholders • Perhaps they are willing to pay the project! 10/16/2021 12

LAYERS OF SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL CONTEXT • • • Managerial/governmental contexts (active <> passive) Cultural contexts (innovative <> traditional) Economic contexts (growing <> declining) Technological contexts (separating <> connecting) Ecological contexts (differentiating <> equalizing) Spatial contexts (accumulating <> dispersing ) 10/16/2021 13

The future context determines the possibility of realization • The supposed future impacts will be different in different future contexts • For example, the economic impact will be different in a growing local economy compared with a declining local economy • So, you have to specify your suppositions about the probable future within which your object will have its impacts 10/16/2021 14

Making suppositions about the context more explicit to assess the impacts • You cannot estimate the impacts without suppositions about the context • Make them explicit before study 10/16/2021 15

Suppositions about management context on any relevant level of scale • Is it an active management context with much initiatives? Give it sign ‘!’ in the scheme • Is it a passive administrative context of just checking and controlling the rules? Note ‘? ’ • In the last case initiative should be part of your project to get the intended impacts realized • And they can be different on different levels of scale 10/16/2021 16

Local initiative expected 10/16/2021 17

Suppositions about cultural context on any relevant level of scale • For administration and management we took opposites of initiative (!) and checking and controlling (? ) • They apply on any level of scale. • But what about culture? For example, what does ‘culture’ mean on the level of building material (R = 3 mm)? • To include any level of scale, we propose 'traditional' (<) opposed to 'innovative' or 'open to experiments' (>) 10/16/2021 18

Traditional building expected 10/16/2021 19

Suppositions about spatial context on any relevant level of scale • Mass can accumulate, concentrate (C) or disperse (D) in space and time • That is an essential design context factor • What is called mass could be specified later • State of dispersion of legend units in a drawing are characteristics of form and composition 10/16/2021 23

Accumulation or sprawl R=30 km • Towns can concentrate, disperse or be subject to a policy in between • In which spatial context your project will have its impacts? 10/16/2021 24

States of dispersion r=100 m • Houses can concentrate or disperse • In which spatial context your project will have its impacts? 10/16/2021 25

States of dispersion in the same density on one level of scale • Anything can concentrate or disperse on any level of scale • State of dispersion and density are different concepts 10/16/2021 26

One million people in two states of distribution on two levels of scale 10/16/2021 27

Making suppositions about the context more explicit to assess the impacts • You cannot estimate the impacts without suppositions about the context • Make them explicit before study 10/16/2021 28

Locating the object (O, o) its impacts (I) and the origin of a programme (P) • The programme is a set of desired impacts • Locate them to locate the stakeholders • Perhaps they are willing to pay the project • Don’t forget the other impacts 10/16/2021 29

LANGUAGE GAMES • One cannot agree with a proposition without determining its modality: • I agree it’s is true or probable is different from • I agree it’s desirable • I agree it’s possible • Probable but not desirable detects a problem • Desirable but not probable detects an aim 10/16/2021 30

Three language games in a planning team • Different specialists use different language games • The same concepts may mean different things uttered by politicians, scientists or designers 10/16/2021 31

Subtracting futures to outline fields of problems and aims • If a statement is probable but not desirable, then it’s a problem • The reverse it’s an aim 10/16/2021 32

Adding possible futures, skipping the impossible ones • Probable but • Probable and desirable futures are not relevant • Impossible and desirable ones also 10/16/2021 not desirable futures are relevant • Desirable but not probable ones also 33

Proposals for design studies with many specialists and stakeholders • Struggle with: • A variable object • Uncertain impacts hitting different stakeholders • They need an agreement about a supposed future context, properly distinguishing relevant • Levels of scale • Layers of social and physical context • Language games (modalities) 10/16/2021 34

Discussion 10/16/2021 35