Questions whether masterplanning, which is becoming an integral part of the development process, is a good investment or a waste of public money. Describes the types of masterplan and marshals a range of arguments pro and contra. High quality development is possible without a masterplan as at Paddington Basin in London but there are many places where sensitive masterplanning could have produced a much better quality of development. Notes that there have been big beneficiaries of the masterplanning boom but also that design led masterplans, which have the advantage of generating publicity, are often flawed when it comes to implementation. Successful masterplanning relies on a mathematical and analytical approach to the way settlements work and brings together a vast range of skills from urban design to economic analysis. Warns that ODPM officials are concerned about the number of masterplans not yet implemented.