ABSTRACT

This chapter posits that knowledge is produced by both research and practice, rather than researchers providing knowledge for use by practitioners. It recalls two common interpretations of research. The first, used since the sixteenth century, denotes intellectual activity involved in searching for a specified object, or a predefined subject. The second interpretation of research refers to intellectual activity directed towards innovation, including the improvement of artefacts and those processes used to create them. The chapter discusses common ground and differences between transdisciplinary research in the humanities, the natural and social sciences, with collaborative design and planning methods for built environments. It proposes convergence and synergies between transdisciplinary research projects and different design and planning methods that can facilitate a shared understanding of complex situations, and then formulate and implement collective responses to them.