Public Process
Advice for Planning Commissioners with Advocacy In Their Blood
You probably didn't end up on your community's planning commission because of your lack of opinions. Now that you are performing this service to the community, how do you balance your past political inclinations and maintain a fair process?
D.C.'s Neighborhood Committees Exert a "Great Weight" on Development: For Better or Worse?
Although they're not decision-making bodies, D.C.'s Advisory Neighborhood Committees (ANC’s) exert a powerful influence on the city's development process. David M. Schwarz Architects examine whether that's for better or for worse.
Public Process and the Perils of Dismissive Engagement
Steve Jobs said, "People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” So why do planners keep asking people what they'd like to see? Scott Doyon believes it's time to dig deeper.
Message and Media: Connecting in a Noisy World
Scott Doyon argues that getting the next generation of collaborators involved in community improvement efforts will require more than simply using the tools of social media - it will require connecting with what people are passionate about.
Do's and Don'ts for Planning in a Web 2.0 Environment
Is your city looking to engage residents online? The latest generation of tools just might be your savior. Or your demise.
The Tea Party vs. Urban Planning
Anthony Flint reports on a number of planning initiatives stopped in their tracks by protesting Tea Party members, who are strongly opposed to "smart growth communism."
Urban Planning's Civic Dividend
The Tea Party has it all wrong, writes Joel Mills. Urban planning is not a radical, elitist agenda, but the best example of local democracy available today.
The Jacobs Legacy
Jarrett Murphy reviews The Battle for Gotham: New York in the Shadow of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs" by Roberta Brandes Gratz, and concludes that it is a nuanced interpretation of the classic showdown.
Videoconferencing as Planning Tool
Former Planetizen managing editor Christian Madera proposes that videoconferencing could revolutionize the public meeting because the entire proceedings could be "broken up and digitized."
High-Density Development Nixed in Ann Arbor
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a high-density, 62 unit apartment complex was approved 6-4 by the city council, but a local law requires a supermajority to pass if members of the public file an 'opposition petition.'
Creating a Place for Public Debate of City Planning and Design
Baltimore considers following in the footsteps of Paris, San Francisco and Copenhagen by opening a "design center", a place for people to gather and debate the design of their city.
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.
City of Bakersfield
Standridge Inc.
City of Brookings
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service