Oregon Struggles With Planning Reform

"It can be damned hard to rekindle an old flame. Just ask Oregon planners, who are trying to get the state's citizens psyched about...well, about the future of their state, is all."

The state has formed a land use task force, dubbed the "Big Look" task force, to develop a new vision for land use planning in Oregon. The group has been touring for months, talking with officials and collecting public input.

"That the task force is moving forward in cautious, systematic - some would say slow - fashion has started to cause angst, notably from the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (OAPA), which suffers from having enormous hopes and expectations, a bursting knowledge of the issues, and a bit of the Gepetto syndrome."