The University of British Columbia
The Big Question
← Course Home
Module 6 of 6

Engineering at Different Scales

The answer to the pothole problem might not be better roads. The best solution to any engineering problem depends entirely on which scale you're looking at. This module introduces a mindset that stops you from locking in too early on one level of a multi-level problem.

SPATIAL SCALE Atomic Component System City Region National Global THE POTHOLE PROBLEM - all of these are valid Better car materials / suspension Component / system scale Better road construction Infrastructure scale Regional maintenance policy Regional / organisational scale Invest in alternate transport System / societal scale The right answer depends on context. Scales thinking helps you see all of them.

By the end of this module you will be able to

Describe what scales are and the three types of scale
Explain how scales thinking improves the quality and breadth of solutions
Apply the pothole example to a new problem
Interactive module

Watch the module

The full module from the original Canvas course, running here. Use the playbar to move through the slides. The summary below covers the same material in text for review or print.

Open the module in a new tab →

What scales are

Scales are different ways of thinking about a problem - different levels of physical extent, time horizon, and organisational scope. Changing which scale you're looking at changes which stakeholders are visible, which solutions are possible, and what "the problem" even is.

There are three types of scale:

  • Spatial scales: from atomic or material level, through component, assembly, system, intersection, city, region, and all the way to continental or international. The physical size of what you're considering.
  • Temporal scales: from the immediate present, through near-future, to distant future impacts. Some solutions fix the problem today. Others take a generation to fully realise.
  • Organisational scales: from the individual user, through community, municipality, regional government, national policy, and international systems. The social and political level at which the solution operates.

The automobile example

Consider all the engineering that goes into a car. Material scientists engineer the metals and polymers. Component engineers design individual parts. Systems engineers design the car as a whole. Transportation engineers design roads and intersections. City planners manage traffic, noise, and parking. Regional planners manage congestion and air quality. National and international bodies manage energy supply, emissions standards, trade, and policy.

These are all genuinely different engineering problems - but they're all about the same thing. A car is a technical device that is deeply interconnected across cultural, political, environmental, and economic systems. Engineers working at each scale see a different problem and produce different solutions.

The pothole example

A pothole damages cars. Possible solutions, at different scales:

  • Improve the strength of materials in the car - absorb the impact better (microscale)
  • Design better tyres, wheels, or suspension - reduce damage at the component level
  • Build roads from better materials and construction methods - fix the road itself
  • Improve regional maintenance policy - fix potholes faster
  • Invest in alternate transportation - reduce the number of cars using roads
  • Redesign the transportation system entirely - eliminate the need for certain roads (long-term, societal scale)

All of these might be the right answer. Which one is correct depends entirely on the context - who the stakeholders are, what resources are available, and what timeframe is realistic. Scales thinking ensures you don't miss any of them before locking in on one.

The key insight: engineers are naturally good at technical solutions at the component or system level. The best solution to a problem might not be technical at all - or it might operate at a scale far removed from the one that first came to mind. Thinking across scales prevents you from solving the wrong version of the problem.

Scales thinking is a mindset, not a checklist

This module is not about memorising a taxonomy of scales and running through it mechanically. It's about developing a habit of deliberately asking: am I looking at this problem at the right scale? Are there stakeholders I haven't considered because they operate at a different level? Are there solutions I've dismissed because they feel too big or too small?

A scales mindset helps you solve the right problem, consider all the people involved, and deliver the best possible solution - not just the most technically obvious one.