The Three Levels of Knowledge

Creating  great  places  may  seem  like  an  impossible task  and one  left  to  chance. It  is  not. We operate with  three   levels  of knowing. The first is simplicity,  whichis the worldview  of a child or uninformed adult.  These people  are fully engaged intheir own experience and  are happily  unaware of  what  lies  beneath the surface  of immediate reality.The second level is complexity. This is generally how most adults view the  world.  These  people  are aware  of the  complex  systems in  nature  and   society   but  cannot  identify  clarifying  patterns and connections.The third  and  highest level of knowing is informed simplicity. This is an  enlightened view of reality  and  is founded upon  an ability  to  discern or  create clarifying  patterns and  connections. According  to  Christopher Alexander,  places  that  demonstrate a higher  degree  of life can be achieved by the proper application of sharable positive design patterns; the abilityto do so is a strength ofinformed simplicity.

Read more: Walt and the Promise of Progress City