How do you create a plan document that grabs the attention of your audience and generates feedback? In Central Arkansas, citizens are exploring and experiencing an interactive online draft plan that makes participation easy and fun.
"Can plan documents be brought to life?" is the question answered in this article from Engaging Cities.
"Draft plans can be long and wordy, hard to digest and slow to download. Not many people are interested in reading a whole plan document or commenting on it. This makes feedback hard to obtain - especially meaningful conversations around specific plan elements. Metroplan sought to present the new draft in a fresh, relevant way that would hold the attention of today’s citizens. To do this, the document would need to take on the eye-catching, easy-to-read flow of a typical modern website - abandoning the static, lengthy format common to draft plans."
Find out how it was done, and how citizens in Central Arkansas can now interact with various elements of the plan, explore at their own pace, and give feedback right alongside the information.
Read the full story: Citizens "Imagine Central Arkansas"
The Impressive Story of Florida's 15-Year-Old Citizen Planner
Dylan Gentile, a 15-year-old resident of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, offers inspiration in the form of proactive, positive engagement with the built environment, and already an impressive resume of accomplishments.
The Good and the Bad of Planning Websites
Students review municipal planning department websites in cities with more than 50,000 people to identify strengths and weaknesses. This post shares examples of the use of websites for information sharing and engagement.
New Initiative Brings 3D Planning to the Public
Eric Jaffe writes on a new interactive planning initiative in Louisville, Kentucky, that takes a hands-on approach to public engagement.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
MTA expects Trump’s tariffs to increase new NYC transit costs by $1 billion
The Metropolitan Transit Authority said the cost of new subway cars has risen by 30% since Trump began his second term as president.
Alaska takes public comment on new long-term plan for roads, bridges and more
Alaska's draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program includes over $1 billion for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
A Colorado neighborhood is the testing ground for the future of home energy
A start up may have found a way to quickly bring geothermal energy to new communities.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello