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In 1985, policymakers in New Jersey -- the nation''s most densely populated state -- called for the development of a new state plan that would guide local land-use decisions and state spending and regulatory policies in areas such as transportation, environmental protection, and economic development. State lawmakers, however, rejected mandatory state or local compliance with in favor of an inclusive planning process designed to win voluntary compliance with the plan''s goals and suggested policies. Some touted this approach as offering new ways to achieve effective, democratic, comprehensive planning while others argued that it would not produce significant results. This case examines how state officials went about preparing and adopting the new plan, and ends with the question of how the plan would be implemented, particularly whether Governor James Florio would embrace it as a guide for state policymaking.