As urban self-organization grows into a key concept in spatial planning—explaining spontaneous spatial transformations—the understandings and applications of the concept divert. This article turns to the ontological dimension of urban self-organization and scrutinizes how a critical realist and a post-structuralist ontology inspire theoretical practices, analytical tendencies, empirical readings, and subsequent planning interventions in relation to urban self-organization. This is illustrated with an example of the self-organized regeneration of a deprived street in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. With this contribution, we aim to create ontological self-awareness among planning scholars in studying urban self-organization and invite them to reflect on how their positions complement, deviate, and potentially challenge or inspire those of others. We argue that by clarifying ontological diversity in urban self-organization, theoretical practices and complexity-informed planning interventions can be further deepened and enriched.

随着城市的自组织发展成为空间规划中的关键概念（解释自发的空间转换），对该概念的理解和应用转移了。本文探讨了城市自我组织的本体论维度，并研究了批判的现实主义者和后结构主义本体论如何激发理论实践，分析倾向，实证研究以及与城市自我组织有关的后续规划干预措施。以荷兰鹿特丹的一条贫困街道的自发组织再生为例说明了这一点。通过此贡献，我们旨在在规划学者中研究城市自我组织时建立本体的自我意识，并邀请他们反思自己的位置是如何互补，偏离以及潜在挑战或启发他人的。