The Plan Review: A New Approach to Urban Project Assessment

Abstract

This paper presents the Plan Review, a new instrument designed to improve the assessment of urban investment plans. Unlike conventional cost–benefit analysis (CBA), which often fails to reflect the multi-level goals and complexities of contemporary urbanised regions, the Plan Review focuses on spatial qualities and stakeholder perspectives. Structured as a matrix, it allows reviewers to evaluate projects at different scales (from regional to project level) and with varying levels of information (from generic to specific). The instrument highlights 16 key spatial conditions, such as accessibility, that must be met for plans to effectively contribute to policy objectives. By providing a systematic and transparent framework, the Plan Review helps decision-makers and stakeholders step back from purely economic logics and engage in more informed, spatially grounded evaluation of urban projects.