Choosing between alternative plans: An assessment approach - Principles and General Procedures
A seven step procedure needs to be applied:
Define the criteria that will be used to assess the planning alternatives (i.e. economic or environmental criteria).
Cluster the criteria into logical groups
Develop a method of quantifying the assessment, preferably along a scale (e.g. scale from 1-9 with 9 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest or best/worst).
Subject the results of the assessment using the criteria to a public or expert hearing. The public / expert hearing involves planners, experts and general public. During the public hearing the criteria are re-examined and the results of the application discussed and reviewed.
Summarize the final result of the assessment at the end of the public expert hearing.
Agree upon a weighting between the different groups and then apply the weighting.
Rank the alternatives and then present these to the decision makers (the alternative that gained the highest score being at the top of the list).
