The Commissioner — Winter 2000

Since You Asked . . .

The October 13, 1999, audio conference Livable Communities and Sustainable Development generated many questions; below are answers to several unanswered ones. The program focused on the definitions of livability and sustainability and what steps communities are taking to achieve these goals.

Four questioners focused on the issue of how to convince developers, traffic engineers, residents, and public officials to consider livability techniques such as narrower streets, traffic calming devices, and high density, mixed use developments.(Ken Maness, Raleigh Planning Department, North Carolina; Roy McAuley, Prattville Planning Commission, Alabama; Dan Erth, Brookfield, Wisconsin; Lori Dildine, Eastern Washington University, Spokane)

Planners have an important role to play as educators. Ann Coulter described the role her planning agency played in creating an institute on transportation that helped officials and citizens in Chattanooga understand and define problems, as well as explore solutions. The goal was not to develop a specific plan, but to simply explore the issues in an open-ended way.

In Michigan, one community holds regular public education programs on planning topics of interest to the public, such as neotraditionalism. The planning staff brings to town nationally recognized speakers, who can visually present their ideas for improving community life. Planners buttressed this program with cable access programming on planning topics.

Neighborhood planners in Florida report that their mayor convenes a breakfast meeting of department heads to discuss specific issues. Out of this came a combined community policing and neighborhood planning program that the planning department would never have devised on its own.

Columbus, Ohio, holds an annual planning award celebration that publicizes good planning to the media and the public-they demonstrate how planning is done well.

You will not change minds overnight. Yet, a sustained program of education and persuasion that takes advantage of creative opportunities goes a long way in changing the climate toward good planning. (Response by Editor)

What width of street do the panelists recommend (in order to improve community livability and meet sustainability objectives)? (Jimmy Teal, Fayetteville, North Carolina)

In Reid Ewing's book, Best Development Practices (APA Planners Press, 1996), he addresses this issue in the chapter "Best Transportation Practices." The standards vary: For local streets the standard prescribed by the Urban Land Institute/National Association of Home Builders/American Society of Civil Engineers is 22 to 24 feet. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, it varies from 16 to 26 feet, and in Orange County, Florida, the width is 18 feet. For collectors: ULI recommends 24 to 36 feet, Bucks County 20 to 24 feet, and Orange County 24 feet. (Response by Editor)