Learning from Mistakes: Reflective Planning, Simple Junctures, and Institutional Change

Abstract This article examines how planners move from reflection to action in pursuit of institutional change. Building on the literature on reflective practice and historical institutionalism, and using Medellín as a case study, I build a framework for analyzing how planners go from reflecting on a problem and identifying its institutional origins to devising solutions based on experience, knowledge, or innovation. Those solutions are then mobilized through “simple junctures,” which are opportunities distinct from everyday processes. The findings, based on interviews, documents, and observations, show the importance of training planners to reflect on institutional factors and of leveraging simple junctures.