Systems Thinking Group 1 Pauli Autio, Nele Beier, Elmiira Ebrahimimahin, Genku Kayo, Anton Silvo, Nea Vainio Urban Systems

2 What is systems thinking? Readings David Ing 2013: Rethinking Systems Thinking: Learning and Coevolving With the World Donella Meadows 1999: Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System System Part Relation Structure of this presentation: Learning and interaction in a system (Ing) How to change systems? (Meadows) How to change systems thinking? (Ing) Conclusion and discussion

Urban Systems Relations in a system Function – Contribution to whole – Outputs, ends, effects Structure – Arrangement in space – Inputs, means and causes Process – Arrangement in time Interaction with the environment A system and its environment create a field The environment itself is part to a whole and consists of parts Learning in systems Learning is change in the process Zero learning – No change in response to input Learning I – Change in selection among given alternatives Learning II – Change in the set of alternatives Learning III – Change in system of sets of alternatives – Human level: eg. learning a language Learning IV – Genetic change Possible links between a system and the environment: 1. Links internal to the system 2. System → Environment: planning 3. Environment → System: learning 4. Links in the environment independent of system

How to change a system? Leverage points Donella Meadows, 1999 Urban Systems

5 Leverage points Places to intervene in a system Places in a system where small shift can produce big chance System analysts have a great belief in leverage points The list is “a work in progress” and “an invitation to think more broadly about the many ways there might be to get systems change” 12. Constants, parameters, numbers (such as subsidies, taxes, standards) - ”Numbers that determine how much of a discrepancy turns which faucet how fast” - Weak leverage points since they rarely change the behaviour of the system - Parameters become leverage points when they go into ranges that kick off items later on the list 11. The sizes of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows - Changing the size of buffers can have a huge impact but mostly it is not easy to chance - Too big buffers lead to slow reaction and have a high cost 10. The structure of materials stocks and flows (such as transport networks, population age structures) - Physical structures are crucial in systems but rarely leverage points - Changing is hard and expensive - The leverage point is in proper design in the first place Places to intervene in a system

Urban Systems Leverage points 9. The lengths of delays relative to rate of system change - Delays in feedback loops are common causes of oscillations - Received information or given response can be delayed - Not a high leverage point, because they are not often easily changeable 8. The strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the impacts they are trying to correct against - Negative feedback loops are everywhere in systems - They are self-correcting and keep important systems states in balance - May not be visible, but they are critical to the long term welfare of the system 7. The gain around positive feedback loops - Positive feedback loops are self-reinforcing - A system with unchecked positive loop will ultimately destroy itself 6. The structure of information flows – If people get new information they might adjust their behaviour to it → can be a highly effective and relativly easy intervention – Often popular with the masses but not with the ones in power 5. The rules of the system – Rules affect our behaviour 4. The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure – The learning of a system – E.g. adding new loops or aspects

Urban Systems Leverage points 3. The goal of the system – If a new goal is set, everything further down the list changes to meet this new goal 2. The mindset of paradigm out of which the system arises – From paradigms come system goals, structures, etc. – Quite hard to change 1.The power to transcend paradigms – To know that no paradigm is „true“ Conclusion This list is tentative and its order indefinite. Every item has exceptions that can move it up or down the order of leverage The higher the leverage point, the more the system will resist changing it → There are no cheap tickets to master a system

Rethinking systems thinking David Ing, 2013 Urban Systems

9 Receptive or resistant to change? Perspective of ecological resilience – Field highly resilient – Difficult to change – Opportunity to change when resilience is low Perspective of panarchy – More slowly evolving systems and faster evolving systems – ”Remember” connection – ”Revolt” conncection Social and ecological systems thinking Social systems thinking – Focused on human organization: relation between individuals and institutions – Human civilization is served by systems in technical, organizational and socio-political forms – Can improvement in one type of service also apply to another type of service? Ecological systems thinking – Focused on natural systems – Can we still save ecosystems or are we too late? – Already recognized: Climate change has led weather to change unpredictably – Our ecosystem might recover or shift into something very different. Rethought of social and ecological systems thinking Rethought of systems thinking during the decades 1950s&1960s Advances in understanding physical systems Relations between parts Computers: electornic brains Athletes: Locomotives 1970s&1980s Human systems don't behave like machines The socio- physical systems perspective The socio- technological systems perspective The socio- ecological systems perspective 1990s&2000s Awareness about threats to ecology Natural world: Not a machine, not a social system Resilence thinking Panarchy 2010s, approaching 2020s Scientific understanding of issues in world Service systems science and service systems thinking Holocene --> Anthropocene: Changes in natural ecology New knowledge or prior research?

Urban Systems EpistemeTechnePhronesis Scientific KnowledgeTechnical KnowledgePractical Ethics ResearchProductionAction UniversalPragmatic Know WhyKnow HowKnow When, Where, Whom Three intellectual Virtues in Philosophy Systems TheorySystems MethodsSystems Practice

Urban Systems Systems Theory Systems Methods Systems Practice Law of the conservation of energy Second Law of Thermodynamics (irreversibility) /generating_electricity_files/powerstation.gif

Urban Systems Systems Theory Systems Methods Systems Practice Systems Theory Systems Methods Systems Practice Systems Theory Systems Methods Systems Practice Extending systems principles to new domains When, where and for whom are systems promising? Enabling collective action on systemic challengesDeveloping new systems theories How are future systems to be developed or improved over current system? Why are the natures or behaviours of systems similar or dissimilar? content/uploads/2014/08/skype.png content/uploads/2015/02/ATA_3603.jpg

Urban Systems Who will drive change? Four ways to respond to change: All types exist in every discipline Role of the urban planner as interactivist? Discussion Conclusion In order to change a system Find a leverage point Change the environment of the system Change the system through a paradigm shift Rethinking systems thinking requires new research, methodology and practices Learning means changing the processes Innovation is not only inventing new but abandoning the old ConservativeForward looking Inactive InactivistPreactivist Active ReactivistInteractivist Is systems thinking relevant to urban planning? Is planning part of the urban system or a system in urban environment? How can we leverage changes in the urban systems? Are we learning?