The false antihesis between vision and cost-benefit analyses

For centuries, two schools of thought have been at odds with each other: those who use primarily their vision in reflecting on the future and those for whom the question 'How much can it cost?' is paramount. The emergence of social cost-benefit analyses has only increased the tension between these opposing views. This report focuses on the planning of large infrastructure projects and deals with the question of what is the antithesis between 'visionaries' and 'calculators'. The report also addresses the ways in which it might be possible to link the two schools of thought together. By means of this report, KiM Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis hopes to contribute to the debate about how to improve the decision-taking process for new infrastructure projects in the Netherlands.