What can planning do? And what can it not do? Drawing on the works of Actor-Network Theory, Stefan Kurath reconstructs local urban planning practices through four selected micro-studies. In a second step, he assesses the practicality of planning approaches such as "Handbook for the Suburbs," "After Sprawl," "Nine Theses for Strengthening the Periphery," and "Designing Between Cities." He demonstrates that sustainable action theories in urban planning must engage with the dynamics of societal negotiation processes and explains how they can expand their spatial and topological perspectives to include a relational design perspective.