An investigation of the environmental content in land use planning in the Norwegian municipality of Sandefjord and the Polish municipality of Myslenice shows a surprisingly high degree of similarity. In both cases, the protection of farmland and scarce biotopes as well as sewage management has been emphasised in the plans. Cultural heritage and cultural landscapes have been a strong concern in Myslenice, while Sandefjord has paid more attention to natural areas for outdoor recreation. In both cases there has been little focus on energy conservation, and the concept of sustainable development has hardly been discussed. The content of the plans has been considerably influenced by national environmental policies. The type of political system (capitalism vs. state socialism) has indirectly influenced the amount of construction and hence the pace of conversion of undeveloped land, but does not appear to have had much influence on the environmental content of the plans apart from this. The emphasis laid on various environmental issues in part reflects the actual local challenges, but also cross-national cultural differences and the fact that the environmental agenda has been widened in both municipalities during the period, most pronounced in Sandefjord. Professional ideals, knowledge and methods common among planners across national boundaries seem to have influenced the content of the plans considerably.