In this article we study the reciprocal relationship, the coevolution, between different forms of trust and control. We conduct comparative case study of two spatial planning projects in The Netherlands. We find that trust and control are related through contingent causation, resulting in divergent paths of coevolution. Our research shows that not only – and often stated in other research – that informal control can contribute to trust, but also formal control can lead to increasing trust. The coevolution of trust and control depends on the specific initial situation in which the relationship between trust and control unfolds.