planningdesign

Planningdesign is an interdisciplinary approach that combines strategic planning with design practice to shape environments, products, services, and policies. It emphasizes aligning long-term objectives with tangible outcomes through user-centered thinking and iterative decision making.

It spans urban planning, product-service design, digital platform development, corporate strategy, event planning, and campus or cultural site planning. The goal is to coordinate vision, feasibility, and impact across multiple time horizons and stakeholder groups.

Core principles include user-centered thinking, systems thinking, participatory and co-design methods, rapid prototyping, evidence-based decisions, sustainability, resilience, inclusivity, and governance structures that enable implementation.

Methods and process commonly involve research and discovery, goal setting, scenario planning, ideation, prototyping, testing with users, implementation planning, and monitoring and evaluation, with feedback loops to refine the project. Tools used include design thinking, GIS, modeling, and stakeholder workshops.

History and reception: drawing on design thinking and planning traditions, planningdesign has gained traction in smart cities, civic tech, and complex organizational initiatives. Benefits include better alignment of aims with realities and increased adaptability; critiques note potential jargon, scope creep, and the need for skilled facilitation.

See also: design thinking; urban planning; strategic planning; participatory design; co-design.