Spatial consciousness

Spatial consciousness may refer to individual or collective awareness about real‐world spatial phenomena and processes. This entry begins by framing the “spatial” while linking it with the realm of the “conscious” by proposing a conceptual articulation that differs between three distinct but interrelated perspectives on consciousness in relation to space, namely phenomenal, representational, and intentional. The entry then elaborates an account of spatial consciousness from the perspective of planning as a spatial discipline, departing from the early experiences of planning as a modern project, followed by contemporary understandings and illustrative examples. On the basis of these respectively conceptual and applied accounts, the entry finally reflects on the role of spatial consciousness in practice and in the expanding canon of academic planning literature, from its Western tenets to a postcolonial, global perspective, and considers a series of theoretical and practical implications.