This thesis analyses the provisions of the Town Planning Act of Nova Scotia with respect to the procedures for the enactment, amendment, and repeal of the official town plan, the enactment, amendment, variation, and repeal of the zoning by-law, the enactment of subdivision regulations, and the approval of subdivision plans, through the following hypothesis: The Town Planning Act of Nova Scotia does not require amendment if the statutory provisions for the enactment, amendment, and repeal of the

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... official town plan, the enactment, amendment, variation, and repeal of the zoning by-law, the enactment of subdivision regulations, and the approval of subdivision plans pursuant to the subdivision regulations are to be satisfactory in terms of: 1. Systems Mainteance; 2. Community Planning; 3. Openness; 4. Efficiency; 5. Effectiveness; 6. Justice. The hypothesis is tested and proven invalid. However the test itself and the methodology for the development of the conceptual framework and the consequent hypothesis are found to be sufficiently defective to necessitate an alternative conclusion about the validity of the hypothesis, namely, "not proven". Notwithstanding the problem in establishing and testing the hypothesis, it is felt that the thesis is worthwhile inasmuch it has established a valid theoretical framework for the treatment of land use planning related issues and points to further areas of research. The conceptual framework is based upon systems theory. A conceptual framework is a means of organizing concepts and facts about a given class of phenomena in a consistent and logically satisfying manner while lacking the precision of a theory. The main sources of supporting data for the conceptual framework and the test of the hypothesis are the Town Planning Act, population and economic data about the Province of Nova Scotia, and responses to a questionnaire which was mailed to planning authorities in the Province.