Tackling wicked problems through collective design

Abstract

Many of the concerns of intelligent architecture fit into the category of wicked problems, that is, problems whose resolution falls outside the current problem-solving capacity of the society that produced them. Wicked problems involve a diverse range of interests, defy a single definition, challenge the society that has produced them, and can have no final solution. Collective resolution of a wicked problem requires moving beyond the ruling constructions of knowledge to draw on all seven ways of understanding of which the human mind is capable. A contribution to architectural planning and design that addresses these conditions is the pattern language developed by Christopher Alexander. This paper explores the contribution of collective thinking and pattern language to planning and design that can meet the demands of transformational change.