Advocating for Planning When Presidential Campaigns Come to Town

Dylan Mullenix shares news of the efforts of planners in Iowa to advocate for the causes of the profession while faced with the rare opportunity of meeting with presidential candidates from both parties prior to today's Iowa caucuses:

Throughout the Iowa caucus season, Iowans become accustomed to the myriad opportunities to hear from, and in many cases meet, the presidential candidates that descend on the state. Planners in Iowa also have the ability to take advantage of this rare opportunity to advocate for issues important to their profession.

Mullenix shares an anecdote of a visit from the Clinton campaign to the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) Central Station. "While the primary goal of Clinton’s tour was to showcase the green aspects of DART Central Station, Presutti noted the visit also helped underscore the value of public transportation to the community," writes Mullenix.

The APA has also prepared a checklist for preparing a site visit [pdf] for presidential campaigns when they come calling to communities.