Measuring Planning Department Performance

This article analyzes the historical struggle of planning agencies and their roles in departments and the central office in depicting how their work contributes to the public benefit. In the example of Seattle in the 1970s and 80s, performance management looks at four criteria: scope of planning activities, output in tangible products/developments, professionalism, and support of the public. Two performance measures also considered are social effectiveness and public involvement in the planning process, and a stability factor: control of information.

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