How Plans Work

As a planner, it's important to have an understanding of how plans actually work, so that they can be effectively implemented. This week’s reading, by Lewis Hopkins provides an overview of the various components of plans.

Five different ways in which plans work are identified, they include: agendas, policies, visions, designs and strategies. A strategy is indentified as the most inclusive and therefore fundamental concept of plans because they take into account the future when making decisions in the present. This fits nicely with the idea of sustainability, which refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. There has been much emphasis placed on the importance of striving for sustainability in recent times, in relation to the environment, economy and society. The use of plans with a strong strategy aspect could help achieve this goal.

Daniel Burnham's Visionary Plan of Chicago
Source: Local Ecologist 2009

Whilst there are five components of a plan, there are two main tools used to put plans into practice- investment and regulation. The term investment conjures up images of businesses and banks, but it is a key part of the planning process. Investment patterns impact where people choose to live, and are an important aspect of planning. If you think about why you chose to live where you did, chances are the presence of key infrastructure such as shops, schools and transport influenced the decision. Often we only realise the effects (whether positive or negative) that investment decisions have on society after they have occurred, so trying to estimate the impact of investment on behaviour patterns is important.

It’s all very well to have a plan that looks good on paper, but having criteria to evaluate whether plans work is essential. Assessing whether the plan achieved the intended purpose, was cost effective and whether it complied to external criteria such as ethics are all important to the evaluation process.