When vagueness is a strategic resource for planning actors

Thomas Buhler (1)

1 ThéMA - Théoriser et modéliser pour aménager (UMR 6049)

This paper focuses on the use of vague discourse in planning. Early contributions identified vagueness as a ‘problem’ to be solved so as to avoid potential misunderstandings and conflicts. This paper adopts the complementary point of view whereby vagueness can also be a ‘resource’, that is, a strategy used by actors in adverse circumstances. A systematic analysis of the texts and illustrations of 36 urban transport plans shows that vagueness is an essential ingredient. It is used mainly as a way to hedge against unwanted public commitments in the context of major uncertainties and tension between actors.

Mots clés: local transport planning; planning discourse; vague discourse; textometry; vagueness; visual content analysis

Domaines: Géographie

Thomas Buhler. When vagueness is a strategic resource for planning actors. Planning Theory, 2021, pp.147309522199586. ⟨10.1177/1473095221995861⟩. ⟨hal-03152254⟩