While many policy tools can be used to develop spatial plans and implement their goals, there have been very few academic attempts to classify and illustrate the whole range of tools available. This article reviews the different ways in which planning tools have been conceptualized to date and highlights a wide variation in their interpretation. Building directly on literature from policy studies, a new classification is put forward which has many potential applications in studying spatial planning governance. As well as distinguishing between four main policy types (nodality, authority, treasure, and organization), the classification differentiates between procedural and substantive tools.

尽管可以使用许多政策工具来制定空间计划并实现其目标，但很少有学术尝试对可用的工具进行分类和说明。本文回顾了迄今为止已将规划工具概念化的不同方式，并着重说明了其解释的广泛差异。直接基于政策研究的文献，提出了一种新的分类方法，该分类方法在研究空间规划治理方面具有许多潜在的应用。除了区分四种主要的政策类型（假名，权限，财宝和组织）外，该分类还区分了程序性工具和实质性工具。