The compliance of land-use planning with strategic spatial planning – insights from Zurich, Switzerland
- 8 November 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in European Planning Studies
- Vol. 29 (7), 1231-1250
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2020.1840522
Abstract
Although many planning systems are based on a combination of traditional land-use planning and strategic spatial planning, the interplay between the two approaches remains insufficiently investigated. Focusing on the Canton of Zurich, we applied a qualitative content analysis to extract strategic planning intentions from the Cantonal Structure Plan (1995). We quantitatively analysed the compliance of changes in municipal land-use plans between 1996 and 2016 concerning the extracted planning intentions. The overall low rate of changes was accompanied by few active contradictions of land-use planning. Minor deviations from the strategic plan were seen in the spatial allocation of new building zones. Considering the socio-economic dynamics of the region, surprisingly few changes were detected regarding the permitted building density for residential and mixed-use areas. This leads us to the conclusion that the Cantonal Structure Plan (1995) was very successful in quantitatively limiting the expansion of building zones. However, it showed a limited active steering capacity regarding their allocation and the regulation of building density. Our analysis showed that margins of discretion play a key role in multi-level planning systems, balancing flexibility for locally adapted solutions against statutory boundaries to prevent their misuse, as such they need to be considered in planning evaluation.Keywords
Funding Information
- Swiss National Science Foundation through the CONCUR project (BSCGIO 157789)
This publication has 47 references indexed in Scilit:
- Policy Success, Policy Failure and Grey Areas In-BetweenJournal of Public Policy, 2010
- Evaluating the Outcomes of Plans: Theory, Practice, and MethodologyEnvironment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 2010
- Evaluation in Urban Planning: Advances and ProspectsJournal of Planning Literature, 2010
- In Search of the “Strategic” in Spatial Strategy Making1Planning Theory & Practice, 2009
- Shifts in Strategic Spatial Planning? Some Evidence from Europe and AustraliaEnvironment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 2006
- Relational complexity and the imaginative power of strategic spatial planningEuropean Planning Studies, 2006
- The Compact City FallacyJournal of Planning Education and Research, 2005
- Strategic (Spatial) Planning ReexaminedEnvironment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 2004
- Improving Compliance with Regulations: Choices and Outcomes for Local GovernmentJournal of the American Planning Association, 1998
- THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC POLICY: A FRAMEWORK OF ANALYSIS*Policy Studies Journal, 1980