This article provides an overview on the current debate on evaluation in urban planning. An initial evaluation state of the art is presented in three parts: the evolution of evaluation theory and methods, the contemporary planning debate around different perspectives and paradigms, and the nature and extent of evaluation practice in planning. The second part of the article focuses on the growing emphasis on urban form issues in different planning systems. This comprehensive literature review provides the background to support the authors’ proposal for a set of general principles to evaluate the implementation of urban plans.

The implications of urban form on energy have long been present in international debate, whether considering travel patterns or thermal comfort in buildings. The urban environment is a result of a set of intertwined attributes, the understanding of which is often unclear. The energy trade-offs between urban form attributes haven’t received proper attention. Research remains sectorial, considering buildings and transport in isolation. In order to allow for a comprehensive analysis of this relationship, this article reviews urban attributes with energy relevance. A collection of attributes and metrics is gathered from the literature for incorporating urban form in urban energy analysis.