Urban land-use plans are the preparatory land-use plan (covering the entire municipal area) and the development plan developed from the land-use plan and regulating individual building areas. The planning authority is the competent body, which is responsible for its own urban development within the framework of its constitutionally guaranteed planning sovereignty.

Land use plan :
The land use plan contains the urban development uses intended by the planning authority and differentiated for the individual areas, e.g. residential areas, commercial areas, utility areas, areas for public use, traffic areas, green areas, forest areas and agricultural areas.

Development plan :
The development plan drawn up for the respective building area is decisive for the fulfillment of citizens' building wishes. It contains stipulations concerning the type and extent of building use, the area that can be built on and the traffic areas. The effect of the legally binding development plan for the developer is twofold: on the one hand, it "releases" the individual building plots for development and, on the other hand, it contains the legal, generally binding restrictions for the development of the plots.

Procedure:
The Federal Building Code (BauGB) contains detailed regulations on the procedure for drawing up urban land-use plans, which must be observed by the planning authority. The participation rights of citizens (early public participation, suggestions on the plan content during the public display of the draft plans) and the obligation to fairly weigh up all private and public interests that are presented and become apparent should be emphasized.