Public Process

You probably didn't end up on your community's planning commission because of your lack of opinions. Now that you are performing this service to the community, how do you balance your past political inclinations and maintain a fair process?

March 14, 2014 - PlannersWeb

Although they're not decision-making bodies, D.C.'s Advisory Neighborhood Committees (ANC’s) exert a powerful influence on the city's development process. David M. Schwarz Architects examine whether that's for better or for worse.

September 30, 2013 - Parchment

Steve Jobs said, "People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” So why do planners keep asking people what they'd like to see? Scott Doyon believes it's time to dig deeper.

January 25, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Scott Doyon argues that getting the next generation of collaborators involved in community improvement efforts will require more than simply using the tools of social media - it will require connecting with what people are passionate about.

May 18, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Is your city looking to engage residents online? The latest generation of tools just might be your savior. Or your demise.

March 25, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Anthony Flint reports on a number of planning initiatives stopped in their tracks by protesting Tea Party members, who are strongly opposed to "smart growth communism."

December 19, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

The Tea Party has it all wrong, writes Joel Mills. Urban planning is not a radical, elitist agenda, but the best example of local democracy available today.

January 31, 2011 - Joel Mills

Jarrett Murphy reviews The Battle for Gotham: New York in the Shadow of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs" by Roberta Brandes Gratz, and concludes that it is a nuanced interpretation of the classic showdown.

January 13, 2011 - City Limits

Former Planetizen managing editor Christian Madera proposes that videoconferencing could revolutionize the public meeting because the entire proceedings could be "broken up and digitized."

May 7, 2010 - Next American City

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a high-density, 62 unit apartment complex was approved 6-4 by the city council, but a local law requires a supermajority to pass if members of the public file an 'opposition petition.'

April 16, 2010 - AnnArbor.com

Baltimore considers following in the footsteps of Paris, San Francisco and Copenhagen by opening a "design center", a place for people to gather and debate the design of their city.

June 17, 2008 - The Baltimore Sun