Planning Systems Compared

This chapter sets out an overview of the main dimensions that have been employed, or could potentially be employed, to compare spatial planning primarily between countries but also within countries where different forms of spatial planning exist. The main dimensions of comparison comprise the organisation of planning systems, the characteristics of the operation of planning, and the impact of planning on territorial development. Before considering these dimensions in turn, the chapter begins by explaining some of the key terminology in comparative studies of spatial planning, namely the concepts of spatial planning, spatial planning systems, and territorial governance and also the relations between them.