Analysing paradoxes in design decisions: the case of “multiple-district” paradox

In early design stages, a team of designers may often express conflicting preferences on a set of design alternatives, formulating individual rankings that must then be aggregated into a collective one. The scientific literature encompasses a variety of models to perform this aggregation, showing strengths and weaknesses. In particular situations, some of these models can lead to paradoxical results, i.e., contrary to logic and common sense. This article focuses on one of these paradoxes, known as multiple-district paradox, providing a new methodology aimed at identifying the reason of its potential triggering. This methodology can be a valid support for several decision problems. Some examples accompany the description.