An editorial in the MinnPost supports the regional planning of the Metropolitan Council in the Twin Cities metro area, which has been beset by a string of controversial decisions.
"For months, it seems, the Metropolitan Council has been under nearly constant attack," according to an editorial by Steven Dornfield. According to Dornfield, the Metropolitan Council (one of the nation's most famous examples of a regional planning agency) has been taking heat "on the alignment of the Southwest Corridor light-rail transit line; on its 2040 regional growth plan; on the adequacy of its plans for suburban highways and the list goes on."
Dornfield sees the criticisms directed toward the Metropolitan Council as evidence of waning political support for regional planning. In response to the attacks he's seen on regional planning from the right and the left, as well as urban and suburban interests, Dornfield crafts a defense of the Metropolitan Council by detailing the historical reasons for the creation of the council, the reasons it is easy to target for political purposes, and the unsavory alternatives (i.e., a council of governments) available for replacing the current council.
FULL STORY: In defense of the Met Council
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