Urban and regional planners are often unsure about the impacts of their interventions, particularly when they must contend with the many “wicked” problems and challenges that characterize much of planning practice. Plan monitoring and evaluation have long been recognized as key elements of plan-making and implementation. In practice, however, planners tend to aspire to – rather than do – plan evaluation. This session will introduce participants to the fundamentals of plan monitoring and evaluation. It will (a) review key evaluation concepts and processes; (b) discuss the characteristics of useful indicators; and (c) consider factors that can impede or facilitate effective plan evaluation. The session will be two hours in length and comprise lecture and presentation content from PowerPoint slides along with exercises to apply course learnings.
