Abstract
An alternative to conventional instrumentalist views of technology is put forward to show that pattern-based theories of technology permit a more faithful description of certain effects of technological change. In particular, it is argued that the instrumentalist view of technology misrepresents the character of modern planning and seriously underestimates its power to damage community life. Planning is considered to be of intrinsic importance to modern technology and is a decisive institution in shaping modern life. A model of planning, the Landscape Evolution Model (LEM), designed by the late Robert Dorney at the University of Waterloo as a simple technique for assembling relevant information for regional planning decisions, is employed to show the difficulties of instrumentalist views of technology in planning. However, the LEM can be adapted to include a paradigmatic understanding of technology that holds the potential of steering planning away from practices that debilitate community.
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