Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science

A schematic but nontrivial site-plan prototype is analyzed, and constituent concepts are created and subsequently represented in formal logic, using Horn clause notation. The purpose of this work is to explore logic programming as a means of representing realistic design knowledge in computer systems for support of architectural sketch design. No such system has been implemented as part of the present study, but results are reported which are encouraging and relevant to further research in that direction. Thus the study seems to show that logical analysis of a specific prototype design can yield a ‘microcosmos’ of general concepts which are meaningful in their own right but also potentially useful in many other contexts than that of the prototype.

Based on protocol analysis of the designers solving spatial problems in architecture, a paradigm for the designers' behavior was proposed in terms of: problem (re)Structuring, when problem parameters are established or transformed, and problem solving, when these parameters are satisfied in a design solution. In order to calibrate and verify the paradigm, a computer-based system called HeGeL (Heuristic Generation of Layouts) was implemented. The development of HeGeL, its architecture and performance are all described. Implemented as a production system, the computer program simulates behavior of the designers observed in the protocol experiments conducted earlier. This paper is intended to serve multiple purposes. First, architecture of HeGeL is described in terms of representations and operations used, and flow of actions. Based on performance of HeGeL, the validity of the proposed paradigm for the designers' behavior and adequacy of the methodology is discussed. Some research issues that need further exploration are also highlighted.

Making decisions in planning has three prominent characteristics: multicriteria, multiparticipants, and fuzziness. A model that deals with these three properties simultaneously is presented as a promising tool for land-use planning, and its potential usefulness in group decisionmaking and for building expert systems is discussed.

Technological progress in recent years has removed many of the barriers which inhibited the development of geographic information systems (GIS). However, there is increasing recognition that human, institutional, and organisational factors are likely to have a profound impact on the experiences of individual organisations. With these considerations in mind in this paper the author explores the results of a series of interviews with system designers and users in Massachusetts and Vermont. These findings are examined in relation to a conceptual framework which stresses the importance of the organisational context, the individuals involved, and the level of environmental and organisational stability. Given the generally longer length of involvement of the authorities visited in the United States with GIS, the author seeks to identify lessons for the British context. Consideration is given to the similarities and differences between the broad environmental forces encouraging the take-up of GIS in Britain and the United States. However, the most significant findings concern the process of implementation. Effective utilisation was not found to be simply dependent upon the technical operation of a GIS. Organisational issues, including the ownership and control of information, securing general commitment, and ensuring the needs of users are met through a realistic understanding of the role of information in decisionmaking, were also found to have a marked influence on the implementation process.

Engineering design, a discipline of vital importance to US industry, is often perceived as lacking rigor and structure. An operational definition of engineering design is offered, to stress that representation is the key element in design. Recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) provide new techniques for design representation that enable better explication of design concepts. Further, the increased power and the flexibility of Al-based, computer-aided design tools offer opportunities for automating routine design and for creating designer's assistants to support the exploration of design alternatives.