The Visual Language of Strategic Spatial Planning: How It Works in Different Planning Contexts

Abstract

Visualization is a key concept for spatial planners since the discipline is about territories. Although a variety of media can be applied for visualization, such as 3D images, sketches, and diagrams, maps are the most suitable medium for representing and visualizing territories. Maps are powerful tools that can lead to either consensus or conflict, as they embody selective choices and values. Similarly, the visual language of plans can also produce agreement or contradictions among stakeholders including governments, property owners, developers, and professionals. This highlights the importance of well-developed cartographic representation to clearly transmit planning ideas and avoid disputes. Strategic plans at city, metropolitan, or regional scales are intentionally selective, focusing on key issues that guide subsequent lower-scale plans. This paper explores the visual language of strategic spatial plans, particularly in the context of rapid urban changes driven by globalization since the 1980s. It analyses how strategic spatial planning differs from traditional land-use planning in its representation of space, illustrating examples from different planning systems and elaborating on their interpretation in the Turkish context.