ABSTRACTCity and regional planners exist in an environment where they must satisfy numerous contending pressure groups. This paper illustrates an application of utility and decision theory in one such situation: the selection of a “land‐use plan” for a large rural area in a southeastern state. The planning group was required to generate a utility matrix for a set of alternative plans consistent with their perceived hierarchy of needs for the region in question. Subsequently, expected value calculations were used to determine the optimal plan. The examination concludes with a discussion of the reliability and sensitivity of this approach, along with an exploration of areas for possible utilization and the problems attendent th