Cost Benefit and Effectiveness Analysis

Evaluation Tools

• Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) compares project costs and benefits using economic prices.
• Economic costs and benefits are identified, quantified, and translated into monetary units for comparison.
• The outcome helps planners decide whether to approve, reject, defer, or modify a project.
• CBA application in social development is limited.
• Quantifying and valuing project benefits is challenging.
• Assigning monetary value to extended human lives or improved health/literacy is difficult.

Cost Effectiveness Analysis

• Developed for program evaluation when monetary cost/benefit quantification is unclear.
• Compares programs with similar outputs without converting them to monetary terms.
• Programs are measured based on outputs or effectiveness indicators (e.g., outputs per monetary cost).
• Useful for comparing programs or services with similar outputs.
• Example: A tutorial program improving reading scores by 20% per $1,000 is superior to one with only a 10% improvement.

Sensitivity/Breakeven Analysis

• Evaluates the impact of altering assumed constant values in an evaluation.
• Identifying sensitive variables (those significantly impacting outcomes) is crucial.
• Sensitive variables should be isolated to assess uncertainty surrounding their value.
• Understanding the level of uncertainty surrounding a variable is important.

Goals-Achievement Matrix Method

• Subjective assessment of objectives and benefit/cost values for specific groups.
• More comprehensive than cost-benefit methods but weights are subjective and critiqued.
• Five-step approach: 1. List objectives, 2. Develop measures, 3. Weight objectives, 4. Evaluate alternatives, 5. Select best alternative.

Planning Balance Sheet Method

• Five-step process.
• Measures costs and benefits monetarily in a balance sheet approach.
• Evaluating impacts is an integral part of planning.
• This process often uses matrices for analysis and scoring systems.

SWOT Analysis

• Method to generate feasible strategies through assessment of present conditions, characteristics and current state.
• Utilizes present conditions to guide strategy creation, not just analyze the past.

Ex-Post Evaluation

• Conducted after a project completion period to assess effectiveness and sustainability.

Participation Techniques

• Surveys: Gathering information from participants, quantifying results, generalizing to larger groups.
• Community Visioning: Inspired by "anticipatory democracy", creates shared vision & begins planning for future.
• Charettes: Team of professionals develop plan elements, collaboratively and iteratively incorporating feedback.
• Public Meetings: Common way planners seek public feedback.
• Public Hearings: Legally mandated procedure, allowing public input before significant decisions.
• Computer-based Public Participation: Increasingly used for stakeholder input and community design.

Implementation Tools

• Property Rights/Bundle of Rights: Ownership rights can be categorized for specific use cases (e.g., timber, minerals, water).
• Subdivision Regulation: Controls division of land for building and development, considering lot layouts and public improvements.
• Zoning Regulation: Divides jurisdictions into districts, regulating land use, intensity, development types, building height, parking, and other aspects.

Spatial Development Concept Tools

• Basic Urban Form: Categorizes urban development patterns:
  • Trend Extension: Flexible, person-centered development.
  • Linear Urban Form: Development along transport corridors.
  • Multi-nodal Urban Form: Development expanding from a core.
  • Concentric Urban Form: Development radiating outwards.
• Combined Alternatives: Employ various types of development patterns.