When vagueness is a strategic resource for planning actors

dc.contributor.authorBuhler, Thomas
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-20T08:36:04Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.descriptionPlanning Theory, 20(4), 1–24, 2021
dc.description.abstractThis article examines vagueness in planning discourse not as a deficiency but as a strategic resource used by planning actors in adverse circumstances. Based on a systematic textual and visual analysis of 36 French local transport plans produced between 2000 and 2015, the paper demonstrates how vagueness is employed to hedge against uncertainty, manage conflict, and avoid firm commitments. The findings highlight vagueness as a diffuse yet powerful element of planning discourse, reshaping how plans function as instruments of governance.
dc.description.versionpublishedVersion
dc.identifier.citationBuhler, T. (2021). When vagueness is a strategic resource for planning actors. Planning Theory, 20(4), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473095221995861
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/1473095221995861
dc.identifier.issn1473-0952
dc.identifier.pageNumber1-24
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1177/1473095221995861
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14235/3321
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSAGE Publications
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved
dc.rights.urihttps://openpolicyfinder.jisc.ac.uk/id/publication/9417
dc.subjectplanning theory
dc.subjectvagueness
dc.subjectplanning discourse
dc.subjectstrategic ambiguity
dc.subjectinstitutional discourse
dc.subjecttransport planning
dc.subjectgovernance
dc.subjectplanning practice
dc.titleWhen vagueness is a strategic resource for planning actors
dc.typeArticle

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