Pergamon HABITAT INTL. Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 445-462, 1996 Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved 0197-3975/96 $15.00 + 0.00 S0197-3975(96)00021-5 Planning for Performance: Requirements for Sustainable Development FORBES DAVIDSON Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Rotterdam, The Netherlands ABSTRACT The paper aims to identify the qualities required from urban planning to make it an effective tool to promote sustainable urban development. The paper reviews trends in urban development that imply that urban plans and planning processes should perform new and demanding roles. These demands go beyond guidance or the control of land uses and location. They require a framework for multiple actors to share visions to commit themselves to action and to co-operate in achieving it. One of these visions is sustainable urban development. The paper argues that the process of building consensus on development gives increased chances of sustainabil- ity. The recent emphasis on approaches inspired by modem business management does not, however, do away with the need for some legally enforceable aspects of plans. It is also important not to expect miracles from new approaches to planning. Reference is also made to the international debate on the subject and examples are drawn from the author's experience. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd INTRODUCTION General Eisenhower once said, though not concerning urban planning: In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. 1 I think that these sentiments should be taken more to heart in the case of urban plan- ning in general and particularly in the case of planning for sustainable development. The process of planning itself is extremely important in order to build up some shared vision of what is being aimed at. Common interest and common understanding of objectives can help to achieve results despite changing externalities. The challenge is to marry participative approaches with approaches that are feasible in their technical, institutional and financial aspects. The paper is focused on urban development planning. For convenience, this will be simply referred to as "planning". The aims of this paper are: • to try to clarify the changes taking place in urban development planning by putting them into a conceptual framework; Correspondence to: Forbes Davidson, Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies, Weena 718, P.O. Box 1935, 3000 BX Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 445