Assessing land use plan implementation: Bridging the performance-conformance divide

Eran Feitelson, Daniel Felsenstein, Eran Razin, Eliahu Stern (2017). Assessing land use plan implementation: Bridging the performance-conformance divide, Land Use Policy, Volume 61, 2017, Pages 251-264

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837716304550

Abstract

 

The assessment of land use plan implementation is a contentious issue. The debate centers on whether the crucial evaluation element is conformance of development to plan directives or alternatively, plan performance, i.e. the degree to which the plan is actually used. An analytic framework combining both conformance and performance in the evaluation of (regional) land use plans is applied to the case of the Central District Plan in Israel. Qualitative and quantitative simulation methods are exploited. Qualitative analysis reveals that both performance and conformance are greater than indicated by non-contextualized, numeric evaluations. Additionally, high conformance does not necessarily imply good plan performance. Quantitative simulation suggests that plan performance with respect to land values and densities is initially pronounced as expectations for development are subdued but subsequently tends to wane merging with the counterfactual trend. Findings imply that plan assessment needs to consider the transaction costs of land use re-designation and actors’ perceptions of the probability that plan amendments will be approved. These perceptions differ across actors as a function of the political influence that they wield.

Keywords: Plan implementation evaluation; Land use planning; Regional planning; Israel

[Eran Razin - member IGU Commission Geography of Governance]