planaste

Planaste is a concept used in speculative design and theoretical planning to describe an integrated framework for designing planetary-scale systems. The term combines elements of planning, systems thinking, and planetary-scale considerations and is typically discussed in academic, design studio, and science fiction contexts. Planaste aims to model how urban, ecological, and infrastructural elements could be coordinated across large geographic or even planetary scales to achieve resilience, sustainability, and equitable governance.

Core ideas include multi-scalar analysis that links local decisions to regional and planetary outcomes, closed-loop resource cycles, and interoperable governance capable of adapting to changing conditions. Proponents emphasize the use of computational tools, simulation, and scenario planning to test how transportation networks, energy systems, land use, water, food production, and social institutions interact under diverse futures.

In practice, planaste functions as a thought experiment, a modelling paradigm, and a pedagogical device rather than a formal discipline with standardized methods. It is often invoked to explore questions of resilience to climate shocks, colonial or corporate power dynamics in resource distribution, and the ethics of large-scale intervention in ecosystems.

Critics argue that planaste can be overly techno-optimistic, data-intensive, and risk masking political complexity. Researchers typically frame it alongside planetary urbanism, systemic design, and resilience theory, using it to provoke debate rather than prescribe concrete prescriptions.