Predictability v. Flexibility

Just about everything we screw up as individuals and organizations has to do with our determination to optimize both extremes of predictability and flexibility, writes Ben Brown

1 minute read

November 27, 2013, 10:00 AM PST

By Hazel Borys

"Welcome to what we all need: A single chart that explains everything. Okay, maybe not everything. But a lot of stuff, especially stuff related to making rules for growing businesses and communities."

"It’s simple. And here’s what it illustrates: When you’re shaping rules to live by, the more you optimize flexibility, the more you sacrifice predictability. The higher you prioritize predictability, the lower your chances for flexibility."

Brown goes on with an extensive thought piece on how this applies to life ... and planning. He tells the nuanced story of the various types of urbanism -- lean in the far corner of flexibility and full codification of urbanism and architecture in the far corner of predictability. To be resilient, can we put all our eggs in either basket?

FULL STORY: One Chart to Explain Everything: You’re welcome

Monday, November 25, 2013 in PlaceShakers

Government / Politics Urban Development World Flexibility Predictability Ben Brown View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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