Land-use planning documents consist of the (municipality-wide) preliminary land-use plan and the zoning plan, which is derived from the land-use plan and regulates individual development areas. The planning authority is the competent body that, within the framework of its planning sovereignty guaranteed by the Constitution, is responsible for its own urban development .

Land-Use Plan :
The land-use plan specifies the urban land uses intended by the planning authority and differentiated for individual areas, e.g., residential areas, commercial areas, utility areas, areas for public use, transportation areas, green spaces, forested areas, and agricultural land .

Zoning Plan :
The zoning plan established for the specific development area is crucial for fulfilling citizens’ construction wishes. It contains provisions regarding the type and extent of building use, the buildable area, and transportation areas. A legally binding zoning plan has two effects for the developer: On the one hand, it “releases” the individual building lots for development; on the other hand, it sets forth the legal, generally binding restrictions on the development of the lots.

Procedure:
The German Building Code (BauGB) contains detailed regulations governing the procedure for drawing up urban development plans, which must be observed by the planning authority. Of particular note are the public’s rights to participate (early public participation, suggestions regarding the plan’s content during the public review of draft plans) and the obligation to fairly balance all private and public interests that are raised or are of obvious importance.