Constructing desires

It is clear from the preceding chapters that urban planning processes associated with the Melbourne Docklands represent a radical departure from anything that might be regarded as a 'normal' planning process. This chapter will attempt to theorise these changes using concepts derived from the philosophy and social theory of Deleuze and Guattari. The contention here is that while one can legitimately critique such an urban planning process in terms of what it does not do (it is not rational, transparent, democratic, or participative), such an approach offers prospects for understanding what it does do. The challenging nature of such theory will render this chapter far more difficult than others in this book; we will avoid jargon where possible.