An important contribution of post-structural thinking to planning theory has been the elaboration of fluid and inclusive approaches to planning. Yet, this openness only presents one face of post-structural thinking. Drawing on assemblage theory, this article presents a conceptual journey to discuss the creativity as well as fixity of an emerging planning concept, namely, that of Light Rail. As a case, local ambitions for Light Rail investment in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, are situated in global processes of circulation of ideas and practices, and an expanding world of ‘Light Rail’. In the analysis, the concepts of ‘coding’, ‘diagram’, ‘attractor’, ‘distributed agency’ and ‘territorialization’ are used to understand how a planning concept like Light Rail builds local capacities and proliferates globally.
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