<I>Structures </I>represent relationships between parts in configurations. The concepts of <I>structure </I>and <I>structure rewriting </I>are defined and it is shown in several examples how these are applied to performing computations on designs and describing design languages.

The resource for the development of a positive theory of planning exists in 'public choice' theory. This work applies the precepts of microeconomics to the behaviour of governments, bureaucrats, and individuals in making choices within a political or collective decisionmaking environment. In...

An exploration of how connectionist systems can be used to model important aspects of design reasoning is presented: the way design appears to involve memory; and a 'holistic' kind of reasoning by which designs appear to emerge from that memory. A simple connectionist system is used to...

Planning theory is lost. It seems remote from practice and uncertain of its own role. This situation is only in part a reflection of the shortcomings of theory. It is also a result of the reformist ethos of planning and a concommitant failure to contemplate the pressures that mould professional...

The Netherlands, like many European countries, is facing a situation of stagnating or declining population. Also, the aged population will grow both in a relative and in an absolute sense. In this paper the impact of prices on the demand for services for older people is analyzed. First, recent...

Some of Alexander's ideas on the nature of design knowledge are critically reviewed and reflected on in a context of knowledge-based computer tools for architectural sketch design, and their potential relevance to this emerging technology is pointed out.

Formal grammars in design are discussed in regard to such topics as stochastically generated forms, ascribed meaning to graphical data, and the intuitive nature of rule making or breaking in design. An original shape-production system is introduced based on the interplay of stochastic processes...