The Pacific Northwest's competing and sometimes conflicting stakeholders have created a master plan for the use—and also the preservation—of marine resources.
On October 12, the Department of Ecology in Washington State released a document it has named the Draft Marine Spatial Plan for Washington’s Pacific Coast.
That somewhat uninventive title is a disservice to what Washington has actually done—created a collaborative master plan using the increasingly popular process called Marine Spatial Planning.
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) aims, more or less, to take the basic tenets of modern land-use planning—engaging many stakeholders, considering commercial, social and environmental trade-offs—and establishing comprehensive plans for marine areas.
Massachusetts and Rhode Island have employed MSP for ocean-resource master plans, and the process is underway in San Diego; Marine Spatial Planning is also in use for various projects around the nation and the world, particularly in places most affected by climate change. In Washington, observers hope the process can dampen longstanding conflicts between interests, and provide "a framework to guide decisions about new development on the outer coast."
The Draft Marine Spatial Plan for Washington's Pacific Coast is now open to public comment.
FULL STORY: HOW WILL WASHINGTON’S COAST DEVELOP?
Op-Ed: Why NYC Needs a Comprehensive Plan
The city’s congestion pricing program could change transportation and land use in radical ways. A comprehensive plan would make the most of those changes.
Controversial Comprehensive Plan Update Moves Forward in Charlottesville
Residents have had a chance to oppose the new residential density proposed by the "Charlottesville Plans Together" comprehensive planning process.
New York City Aims for Comprehensive Long-Range Planning
The city's proposed comprehensive planning bill could create a more equitable and collaborative planning process
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions