ABSTRACT
Planning systems that feature a high degree of top-down control in many ways represent the remains of a system based on nineteenth century political ideals, and on post-war functionalism. The end of World War II showed a continental Europe in ruins. German occupation had left a rather rigid but well equipped planning system in most occupied countries, with three interacting layers of policy-making. Quantitative and object oriented indicators will act alongside, will be complemented by or will be replaced by qualitative and communicative indicators to represent both what is going on and what is felt to be important. In that sense indicators become a communicative tool, rather than traditionally a tool to measure whether targets are met. Contrary to the theory supporting the technical-rational approach, communicative theory does not see planning issues as 'realities' in the outside world.
