On the application of multiple criteria decision analysis in interactive spatial planning processes: Lessons learnt from two stories from the swamp

Rigorous application of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is difficult in what Donald Schön characterizes as the swampy lowland where situations are confusing ‘messes’ incapable of technical solution, but at the same time of greatest human concern. In this article, we report on two cases of MCDA application in ‘interactive’ policy making in the Netherlands. The first case is about city planning and concerns decision making by the local government, while the second case is about motorway infrastructure planning and concerns decision making by national as well as regional government. These cases illustrate how MCDA principles can be (ab)used, and provide a context for reflection on how these principles can be preserved by embedding them more firmly in the policymaking process.