Planning commissioners share the lessons that they've learned in each quarterly issue of The Commissioner.
Fall 2012
By Marc Yeber
Many planning commissioners believe that our function has less influence in determining outcomes than it did a decade ago.
Summer 2012
By Marya Morris, AICP
Like a lot of small towns and suburbs, Glencoe, Illinois, is eager to find ways to promote and support sustainability objectives, both within village government and among residents.
Spring 2012
By Shelly Cook
Why is serving on a planning commission good preparation for local elected office? (Or why planning commissioners should consider taking that next step!)
Winter 2012
By Bill Roschen
The role we play as planning commissioners may be more important than ever with the complexities of environment, health, transportation, and placemaking combining under the growing canvas of democratic land use and planning.
Summer 2011
By W. Shedrick Coleman
What are the duties of the planning board to provide notice to the public for "matter-of-right" petitions? In many areas, such petitions can be approved at a staff level. Otherwise, they may be handled as consent agenda items. Whatever the methodology, they usually provide no vehicle for public input during the approval process.
Winter 2011
By J.H. Rumpp, Jr., AICP
The Town of Contentment (now Dedham), Massachusetts, is quite different today than when it was founded in 1635. Our town's history includes development of the first manmade waterpower canal and construction of an early shopping mall, and it is home to the oldest wood-framed structure in the country.
Fall 2010
By W. Shedrick Coleman
Advice on how planning boards and commissions can reaffirm their value in their communities.
Summer 2010
By Carol J. Thomas, FAICP
Mayors frequently seek local professional planners to serve on local boards and commissions. Is it a good idea? It certainly seems so from the standpoint of the community. A knowledgeable, presumably qualified, and unbiased person serves the public at no cost to the public: in effect, a pro bono consultant.
Spring 2010
By R. Hunter Gee, Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Planning Commission
Communities around the country are talking about smart growth. While many have developed community-driven visions for their future, implementation remains the challenge.
Winter 2010
By Timothy H. Jackson, AICP, Consulting planner and former member of the New Orleans planning commission
When I was a planning graduate student at the University of New Orleans 20-something years ago, Professor Ralph Thayer gave the class an assignment: Research a topic in the City of New Orleans's Master Plan. For a week the first-semester graduate students searched the city's libraries, city hall, and the city planning commission offices looking for the plan. It was a trick question. The city had no master plan.
Fall 2009
By Debra March, Planning Commissioner, Henderson, Nevada
Most elected officials say, "I never thought I would become a politician." But somewhere in their lives they decide to get involved. Many times, their service starts as a planning commissioner. That was my transition.
Summer 2009
By John Hedrick, Chair, The Village of Glenview, Illinois, Appearance Commission
After many years on the appearance commission, I found that becoming chair prompted me to review our local processes and to benchmark with neighboring communities. This sharing of information provided new ideas and valuable guidance to balance a wide range of community design issues and economic development considerations.
Spring 2009
By Gary Sears, Vice Chair, City of Plant City, Florida, Planning Board
Plant City, Florida, incorporated in 1885, is located approximately 25 miles east of Tampa. Plant City began as an agricultural farm-to-market railroad town and over the years has grown from a rural village to a small urban city whose current population is approximately 34,000.
©Copyright 2012 American Planning Association All Rights Reserved