Planning's representational tools – maps, sections, plans – have historically been conceived for territories perceived as relatively stable: fixed morphologies, clear boundaries, systems tending toward equilibrium. These assumptions proved remarkably productive throughout the twentieth century. However, the post-sustainable condition – understood here as a context where ecological damage is no longer fully preventable, and planning must operate within already compromised systems rather than toward idealised equilibria – poses new challenges: altered ecosystems, thresholds being crossed, futures radically uncertain. This shifting context invites a critical reconsideration of whether inherited tools remain fully adequate, or whether they require adaptation to operate within permanent instability. This paper interrogates the territorial section as a foundational device of modern planning thought. Taking Patrick Geddes' Valley Section as paradigmatic case, the contribution explicates the implicit axioms that made this tool operative for over a century: morphological stability, gravitational linearity, sharp boundaries, dynamic equilibrium, and functional anthropocentrism. Rather than dismissing these axioms, the paper asks how they might be translated for post-sustainable contexts characterised by systemic instability. Through genealogical analysis and critical deconstruction, it explores what could be destabilised in the Geddesian paradigm and what might emerge in its place. As contribution, the paper outlines the amphibious section: a modified tool that does not simplify complexity but organises it, capable of representing dynamic gradients, multiple temporalities, tipping points, and multi-agent processes. The land-sea interface – where tidal rhythms, seasonal cycles, and long-term climate dynamics coexist – serves as epistemological laboratory for testing these propositions. The contribution is methodological: rather than offering design solutions, it explores how a foundational instrument might be rethought to operate within radically altered conditions. The amphibious section suggests a shift from designing stable forms toward designing relations in transformation – a paradigm for operating within crisis rather than merely responding to it.
Reinventing the Territorial Section for Post-Sustainable Planning: From Geddes' Stability to Amphibious Epistemologies
Ambra Tieghi
2026-01-01
Abstract
Planning's representational tools – maps, sections, plans – have historically been conceived for territories perceived as relatively stable: fixed morphologies, clear boundaries, systems tending toward equilibrium. These assumptions proved remarkably productive throughout the twentieth century. However, the post-sustainable condition – understood here as a context where ecological damage is no longer fully preventable, and planning must operate within already compromised systems rather than toward idealised equilibria – poses new challenges: altered ecosystems, thresholds being crossed, futures radically uncertain. This shifting context invites a critical reconsideration of whether inherited tools remain fully adequate, or whether they require adaptation to operate within permanent instability. This paper interrogates the territorial section as a foundational device of modern planning thought. Taking Patrick Geddes' Valley Section as paradigmatic case, the contribution explicates the implicit axioms that made this tool operative for over a century: morphological stability, gravitational linearity, sharp boundaries, dynamic equilibrium, and functional anthropocentrism. Rather than dismissing these axioms, the paper asks how they might be translated for post-sustainable contexts characterised by systemic instability. Through genealogical analysis and critical deconstruction, it explores what could be destabilised in the Geddesian paradigm and what might emerge in its place. As contribution, the paper outlines the amphibious section: a modified tool that does not simplify complexity but organises it, capable of representing dynamic gradients, multiple temporalities, tipping points, and multi-agent processes. The land-sea interface – where tidal rhythms, seasonal cycles, and long-term climate dynamics coexist – serves as epistemological laboratory for testing these propositions. The contribution is methodological: rather than offering design solutions, it explores how a foundational instrument might be rethought to operate within radically altered conditions. The amphibious section suggests a shift from designing stable forms toward designing relations in transformation – a paradigm for operating within crisis rather than merely responding to it.
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