Planning support systems and interdisciplinary learning

Planning is both an interdisciplinary and a collaborative endeavour. A range of disciplines are involved in planning, which arguably all have a specific frame through which they perceive reality and address planning issues. Three main disciplinary frames can be discerned: analytical, design and negotiation. Within this context, increasing usage is made of planning support systems (PSS), which are integrated sets of tools, often digital, aiming to support different tasks in the planning process. PSS arguably have the potential to support the planning process by facilitating interdisciplinary learning processes, involving “frame reflection” by different disciplinary actors. This paper studies this assumption through two case studies in which a PSS was applied in an interdisciplinary setting. It was found that “frame reflection” (double-loop learning) occurred in only one of the two case studies -and that this involved several frictions between disciplines. In the other case study more practical forms of learning were found (single-loop learning) – also valuable for planning. It is concluded that PSS have potential for interdisciplinary learning, particularly where the impact analysis function and a shared spatial language improve the quality of the dialogue. With regard to the latter, however, PSS should be prevented from dominating the discussion as this is something which is particularly problematic for stakeholders with a design frame. In future research, the role of local stakeholders in relation to PSS and interdisciplinary learning could also be taken into account.