There is an increasing awareness throughout the developing world of the importance of improving the efficiency of urban land use. The search for more efficient land use must be pursued at two different levels. First, it is necessary to review the impact of land use regulations on development costs and to devise a more affordable mix of regulations without reducing the quality of the urban environment. Second, it is necessary to pursue opportunities for greater efficiency at the project design level. With a wide range of alternatives to choose from, planners can make much more informed decisions in determining appropriate least-cost solutions. But cost reduction alone is not enough for successful design. It is also necessary to maximize the satisfaction created in projects and to price developed plots appropriately. Each design option is associated not only with a particular cost but also with a specific level of satisfaction for project beneficiaries. Several examples are given of how various aspects of projects can be designed more efficiently by using modelling techniques to cost a range of alternatives and then using knowledge of local market conditions to choose the most appropriate low-cost/high-value solution.