The Management of Complexities, Conflicts and Uncertainties in the Border County of Ghasr-e Shirin Using Strategic Choice Approach

In recent years, the policy of attracting population to border areas and strengthening the security of these areas by residents has been adopted by the Government. Located in the west Iranian Kermanshah province, Ghasr-e Shirin county is one of the areas earmarked for the implementation of this policy. Planning the development of this county faces complexities, conflicts and uncertainties, which must be taken into account in order to adapt the plan to realities and appropriately implement it. The Strategic Choice approach, makes it possible to manage complexities, conflicts and uncertainties in the decision-making process and its product in a balanced position. It is done through the application of simple and clear techniques in a cyclic process including four modes of configuration, design, comparison and choice. Bearing in mind the tendency of recent Iranian urban and regional planning system towards strategic planning, and thereby neglecting complexities, conflicts and uncertainties in mainstream plans, the strategic choice approach is adopted here as a methodology to plan the development of Ghasr-e Shirin border county, with its mainly qualitative techniques employed based on scientific, logical methods. This research intends to show how complexities, conflicts and uncertainties are managed in planning the development of Ghasr-e Shirin county. The areas concerning each of these issues have been identified at specific stages and in the decision-making process, as well as in designing the progress package as the end product. Balances have been struck according to the problem situation. Facing the complexities of the decision-making process, a more elaborate, narrowly focused approach is adopted as opposed to a simplistic treatment less focused alternative; and in the end product, a sequence of slow and steady steps has been designed according to the decision links. In order to manage the conflicts in the management of process and product, a more interactive treatment has been preferred to a more reactive treatment, with the uncertainties managed through the acceptance or reduction of uncertainties based on the flexibility of the decision-making process.