Planning and You

What is planning?  Helps guide how a community grows and develops  U.S. population expected to reach 400 million by  Considers all resident needs  Looks at the “big picture”  What are the community’s current and future needs?  Examines issues from all angles  Social, environmental, hazard, physical

Planning is comprehensive and community-focused, and enables greater choices for residents. What is planning?

Let’s look at how planning impacts you.

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

Where do you live? Do you live in an:  Urban setting  Suburban neighborhood  Rural community

What is your residence?  Stand-alone home  Apartment  Condominium  Town house  Other

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

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)

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 and advanced specialty certification  By the American Planning Association’s professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)

Planners address challenges  Housing affordability  Commute times  Obesity  Pollution and air quality  Safety concerns  Sustainability

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

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)

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

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 year’s theme is “Healthy Communities, Healthy People”  Visit:

Examples of planning in [town name]  Example 1 (add picture if available)  Example 2  Example 3

Resources  APA  Association Collegiate Schools of Planning  Local planning department [include link information]  [Local APA chapter]

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 titlesAPAPlanningBooks.com

Contact American Planning Association (APA)