Physical change and human ecology; What is planning?; Systems; Planning as a conceptual system; On space and spatial planning; Goals; Projecting the system: What is the future?; Models; Some operational models and their underlying theories; Modelling "the whole system"; Evaluation; A spatial method for regional planning; Satisfaction or optimisation? The bounds of rationality; Plan or programme?; A mixed-programming strategy.

This report shows how the systems approach may be applied in urban planning. It outlines a framework for utilizing the systems approach, identifies the steps of analysis that are fundamental and develops guidelines that stress the operational problems involved.