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What is YOUR Wicked Problem?

What problem aggravates you the most in a city?

What do you want the most?

What else do you want?

According to Rittel and Webber, “wicked problems” are problems that city planners cannot solve to the satisfaction of everyone who will be impacted by them. These problems are closely related to other wicked problems: higher taxes may mean fewer city services, gentrification may result in the displacement of vulnerable populations, but leads to “nicer” neighborhoods and a stronger tax base for the city, or a new bus stop by a school may cause more idling near the school and result in high asthma rates in the school children (Rittel and Webber). Furthermore, these authors claim that city planning problems are wicked because there can be no formula that can accurately predict all the ramifications of implementing a change nor can the results achieved as a result of a planning decision be reproduced in other cities by making the same changes due to sheer quantity of variables that effect every city (Rittel and Webber). This does not mean that city planning is not a useful tool. Planning allows cities to prioritize and make decisions on how to most effectively use limited resources. By considering wicked problems in light of a particular cities needs and resources, planners are able to find compromises and solutions that work for their city.

You "got 99 problems" and they are all wicked (Jay Z)!

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What is YOUR Wicked Problem?

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