DEALING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS IN EVALUATION Cognitive complexity and scale problems

This contribution discusses the inadequacy of instrumental rationality when dealing with environmental problems, and thus facing complexity and uncertainty characterising both cognitive models and organisations involved. This issue is seen as crucial in environmental planning practice, a field where traditional evaluation processes present many undetermined aspects concerning both latent cognitive structures and problems lacking of solution. The paper can be divided into four parts. It starts with a review of the paradigm of rationality, arguing the need of a new collocation and definition of evaluation according to the epistemological shift claimed by the new so-called "complexity paradigm" (par. 2). Within this approach, Science and Technique can not be considered any more as neutral, disinterested and unique, and the role of contingency in problems definition and analysis is emphasised, especially with reference to the concept of development, which cannot be seen any more as following a linear evolution and coincident with progress. An example of possible consequences of this shift in perspective is presented (par. 3) with reference to a decision-making process concerning the construction of a road infrastructure: conflicts arising during this process are seen as potential sources of fresh, social based, and unexpected proposals. The second part examines some problems emerging in environmental planning and decision-making. Two aspects are stressed: that of local/global tensions, which is to be considered as a fundamental issue if we recognise that actions at smaller scales will have effects on global self-regulatory mechanisms following a causal chain that is anything but clear; and that of conflicts arising in environmental planning (par. 4). In a context of major public concern for environmental protection, the relation societyenvironment should be considered also as a scale-dependent problem, without taking for