APA's Ethical Principles of Planning

Ethical decision making is critical to good governance. Planning commissioners are guided by the Ethical Principles of Planning, which were created and adopted by the American Planning Association in 1992. These principles are voluntary, but extremely helpful for commissioners faced with complex decisions that involve competing concerns.

Click here to read the ethical principles.

Planners who have been certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners are bound by a code of professional ethics.

Click here to read more about the AICP Code.

State Ethics Codes and Commissions

Click here for a comprehensive list of state ethics codes and commissions, complete with web links and contact information.

Planning Ethics for Planning Commissioners
This CD-ROM training product includes two modules discussing what planning commissioners need to know to make ethical decisions.

Module 1: Ethics and Planning Decision Making (75 minutes)
Ethical decision making not only builds trust and respect for the planning commission, but also underlies legal decision making. Explore the role of state ethics codes in the planning process. Review the roles of the professional code and the APA Principles of Ethical Planning. Panelists discuss sunshine laws, locally adopted administrative procedures, and the integration of these various codes.

Panelists
Bob Mitchell, Special Assistant for Sustainable Development; State of Massachusetts
Kathy Garcia, Planning Commissioner; City of San Diego, California
Lorie Garcia, Planning Commissioner; City of Santa Clara, California
Mike Harper, Planning Manager; Washoe County, Nevada

Module 2: Planning Commissioner Ethics (75 minutes)
Planning commissions make decisions on behalf of the public and those decisions must be made within an ethical framework. This lively roundtable discussion of scenarios explores the relationship between legal responsibilities and how commissions consider varying points of view while keeping the long-term interests of the community in focus.

Panelists
Clyde W. Forrest, AICP; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Lorie Garcia; Planning Commissioner; City of Santa Clara, California
Pat Sheffels; Bellevue, Washington Planning Commission
Stephen Sizemore, AICP; American Planning Association

Planning Made Easy
Part Five: Ethics
Manual
Carol Barrett, FAICP, and Robert Joiner, AICP are the authors of this chapter of the manual. The chapter is devoted to ethical decision making for planning commissioners and covers:

• Why ethics is important
• Groundwork for ethical planning bodies
• Role of the staff planner
• Role of the commissioner or board member
• What happens when you have ethical questions
• Trainer's Guide

This is followed by seven scenarios that explicate the ethical issues and two role playing exercises. The chapter concludes with an index of various ethical guidelines.

There are many other codes, principles, and guidelines that can assist planning commissioners and other officials. You may find information on this ethics material by searching on the keywords (public officials, ethics).