Magister Artium - MA / The trend in metropolitan planning is to provide overarching objectives for development, leaving detailed interpretation at the local level. The unspecific nature of these guidelines, however, coupled by the parochial interests of constituent local municipalities, can result in development that is unfavourable in terms of the metropolitan vision. The aim of this research was to consider a more detailed basis according to which the metropolitan plan for the Cape Metropolitan Area, the Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework (MSDF), could possibly be promoted. The approach was to focus on vacant land since this will be the target of future development.