Planning and You

1
Planning and You
2
What is planning?

• Helps guide how a community grows and develops
• U.S. population expected to increase 100 million
  by 2043.
• Considers all resident needs
• Looks at the big picture
• What are the communitys current and future
  needs?
• Examines issues from all angles
• Social, environmental, hazard, physical

3
What is planning?

• Planning is comprehensive and
• community-focused, and enables
• greater choices for residents.

4

• Lets look at how planning impacts you.

5
How do you get to school or work?

• Do you
• Drive (solo or car pool)
• Take the bus or train (mass transit)
• Walk
• Bicycle
• Other

6
Where do you live?

• Do you live in an
• Urban setting
• Suburban neighborhood
• Rural community

7
What is your residence?

• Stand-alone home
• Apartment
• Condominium
• Town house
• Other

8
Planning gives you choices.

• Where you want to live
• How you want to commute
• The type of house you live in
• Where you play or spend your leisure time

9
Planning benefits your community

• Maintains neighborhood character
• Reduces environmental impacts
• Provides protection from natural and man-made
  disasters
• Preserves parks and open space
• Helps determine where buildings, businesses,
  homes, and roads will be located (or sited)

10
Who are planners?

• Professionally educated and trained
• Visionaries with a comprehensive view
• Ability to address the challenges of growth and
  change within a community
• Many achieve certification
• By the American Planning Associations
  professional institute, the American Institute of
  Certified Planners (AICP)

11
Planners address challenges

• Housing affordability
• Commute times
• Obesity
• Pollution and air quality
• Safety concerns
• Sustainability

12
Some planning tools

• Comprehensive plan
• Guides overall community growth and development
• Zoning
• Classifying land uses into different zones
• Design standards
• Set of guidelines regarding the architectural
  appearance of a building
• Graphic Information System (GIS)
• Computer-based system for generating maps
• Think of Google Earth

13
Learn more about planning

• Attend local planning commission meetings
• Follow planning stories in your community
• Read planning books
• Explore planning as a career choice
• Join the American Planning Association (APA)

14
American Planning Association (APA)

• Membership and education organization
• Represents more than 40,000 members nationwide
• Professionals, business leaders, elected
  officials, citizens, students, educators
• Advocates for good planning practices
• In communities, legislatures, and courts
• Encourages engaging the entire community in
  planning decisions

15
National Community Planning Month

• Annual celebration in October
• Celebrates the benefits of planning in our
  communities.
• Increases awareness about the importance and need
  for planners and planning.
• This years theme is New Ideas for Americas
  Future
• Visit www.planning.org/ncpm

16
Examples of planning in town name

• Example 1 (add picture if available)
• Example 2
• Example 3

17
Resources

• APA www.planning.org
• Association Collegiate Schools of Planning
  www.acsp.org
• Local planning department include link
  information
• Local APA chapter

18
Resources

• Suggested reading
• Citizens Guide to Planning (4th ed.)
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities by
  Jane Jacobs
• High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup
• Smart Growth in a Changing World by Jonathan
  Barnett
• True Urbanism by Mark Hinshaw
• Visit APAPlanningBooks.com for more titles

19
Contact

• American Planning Association (APA)
• 312.431.9100
• PublicInfo_at_planning.org
• www.planning.org