Measuring Performance of Knowledge Technologies that Aim to Support Strategy Making: Case of Urban Strategy

Abstract

This paper examines the performance of Planning Support Systems (PSS) in supporting integrated land use and transport strategy making, focusing on the case of Urban Strategy, a state-of-the-art PSS developed in the Netherlands. Despite decades of development, PSS tools are rarely used in the strategic phase of planning, largely due to soft barriers such as limited transparency, poor communication value, and low user-friendliness. Drawing on survey results and experimental application of Urban Strategy, the study evaluates whether more interactive systems can bridge the “implementation gap.” It highlights key usability factors and assesses the potential of interactive PSS to enhance communication and decision-making in strategic planning. The findings contribute to ongoing debates on improving the effectiveness of digital knowledge technologies in planning practice.