OPERATIONAL CONTEXT ANALYSIS Necessary part of design related study and research 3rd 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 April 7, 2019 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 April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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? April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

LEVELS OF SCALE The object of design is variable But at least the order of size could be determined Then, anything larger or smaller is ‘context’ Determining ‘external variables’ with hidden assumptions: models for anything outside the object of study But conclusions from outside and inside may differ: is a ball convex or is it concave? April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

Levels of scale to be aware of Different scales mean different legend units, categories, views, approaches, conclusions April 7, 2019

Names and boundaries of size categories In this presentation ‘nominal values’ indicate an order of size They are ‘elastic’ 10m means something in between 3m and 30m April 7, 2019

A frame 100x the granule of a drawing representing a building r/R determines the resolution of a drawing or discourse, the ‘resolution of the argument’ April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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! April 7, 2019

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 ) April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

Local initiative expected April 7, 2019

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 = 3mm)? To include any level of scale, we propose 'traditional' (<) opposed to 'innovative' or 'open to experiments' (>) April 7, 2019

Traditional building expected April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

Accumulation or sprawl R=30km Towns can concentrate, disperse or be subject to a policy in between In which spatial context your project will have its impacts? April 7, 2019

States of dispersion r=100m Houses can concentrate or disperse In which spatial context your project will have its impacts? April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

One million people in two states of distribution on two levels of scale April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

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 April 7, 2019

Adding possible futures, skipping the impossible ones Probable but not desirable futures are relevant Desirable but not probable ones also Probable and desirable futures are not relevant Impossible and desirable ones also April 7, 2019

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) April 7, 2019

Discussion April 7, 2019