This book examines the theoretical foundations of the processes of planning and design.

When peoplea "alone or in groupsa "want to solve problems or improve their situation, they make plans. Horst Rittel studied this process of making plans and he developed theoriesa "including his notion of "wicked problems"a "that are used in many fields today. From product design, architecture and planninga "where Rittela (TM)s work was originally developeda "to governmental agencies, business schools and software design, Rittela (TM)s ideas are being used. This book collects previously unavailable work of Rittela (TM)s within the framework of a discussion of Rittela (TM)s theories and philosophical influences.

This book examines the theoretical foundations of the processes of planning and design.

When people a " alone or in groups a " want to solve problems or improve their situation, they make plans. Horst Rittel studied this process of making plans and he developed theories a " including his notion of "wicked problems" a " that are used in many fields today. From product design, architecture and planning a " where Rittela (TM)s work was originally developed a " to governmental agencies, business schools and software design, Rittela (TM)s ideas are being used. This book collects previously unavailable work of Rittela (TM)s within the framework of a discussion of Rittela (TM)s theories and philosophical influences.

The world's most artful and skillful stone architecture is found at Tiahuanaco at the southern end of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. The precision of the stone masonry rivals that of the Incas to the point that writers from Spanish chroniclers of the sixteenth century to twentieth-century authors have claimed that Tiahuanaco not only served as a model for Inca architecture and stone masonry, but that the Incas even imported stonemasons from the Titicaca Basin to construct their buildings. Experiments aimed at replicating the astounding feats of the Tiahuanaco stonecutters--perfectly planar surfaces, perfect exterior and interior right angles, and precision to within 1 mm--throw light on the stonemasons' skill and knowledge, especially of geometry and mathematics. Detailed analyses of building stones yield insights into the architecture of Tiahuanaco, including its appearance, rules of composition, canons, and production, filling a significant gap in the understanding of Tiahuanaco's material culture.