Mixed Scanning
The mixed scanning model tries to involve the strengths of the rational planning model and the incremental planning model and to eliminate the weaknesses (Mitchell 2002).
It is based on ‘bounded’ instrumental rationality (Larsen 2003).
Central assumptions
- Many incremental decisions may lead to fundamental changes.
- The cumulative effect of those incremental decisions is influenced by fundamental decisions (Mitchell 2002).
Assumptions and role of the planner
- The planner is considered to be a ‘bounded’ rational being (Larsen 2003; Mitchell 2002), reducing the complexity of the world to an easier model but to a lesser extent than the incremental planner.
- Overseeing the whole situation he or she has to consider few solutions in greater detail (Mitchell 2002).
Role of the population
- The civil society is active in planning. Its needs and wants have to be established during a consensus-building process (strategic/functional participation) (Kinyashi 2006).
Planning process
Planning is carried out more decentrally than in the rational planning process. Both the population and more agencies are involved in planning. Important features of the planning process are:
- Objectives are set under consultations with the civil society.
- Incremental decisions are made under consultation with the population while at the same time also
- few fundamental decisions are made which mark a huge departure from the existing situation (Kinyashi 2006; Mitchell 2002).
Thus, planning is considered as mixture of scientific technique, intuition and experience.
After you learned about the way to plan, you can study the units for which planning is done (planning units).