Planning Commissioners Journal

Too Much Traffic in Your City?

If that's the case, you might want to consider installing one of these traffic signals!

It's actually (if you haven't guessed) a sculptural work -- by Pierre Vivant, installed in 1998 on London's Canary Wharf. It apparently replaced a dying plane tree. This photo is posted on Flickr -- if you search Flickr using the keyword "canary wharf tree" you'll find a number of other images.

I saw one web site raise a concern (facetiously?) that this kind of art might be illegal in Massachusetts, as being a "hoax device." But surely this is not an "infernal machine" -- needed for a hoax device to be illegal under Massachusetts law!

CHAPTER 266. CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY

Chapter 266: Section 102A1/2. Possession, transportation, use or placement of hoax devices ...

Review Draft PCJ Articles

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Some of you may not be aware, but for 15 years now (going back to "CompuServe" days) we've been circulating draft articles scheduled for publication in the Planning Commissioners Journal. Right now, about 350 individuals receive draft articles.

You benefit by getting an advance look at what we'll be publishing. We benefit by getting feedback before the article is finalized. I can't tell you how many times questions & comments we've received have led to significant improvements and clarifications in articles we've published.

You don't have to be a professional planner to sign up for this email list (though we welcome feedback from professional planners!). In fact, since our primary audience consists of "citizen planners" -- including members of city, county, and regional planning commissions -- we especially value feedback from citizen planners. note: you don't have to comment on draft articles you receive, but we certainly hope you will, at least on occasion.

Go to our email sign-up form.

Making Introductions

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Planning commissions are an integral part of local participatory democracy in communities across the country. One of their most important functions is to provide an outlet for residents -- and business owners -- to voice their concerns and provide feedback on land use and development issues.

As we all know, this is not always pretty. People sometimes vent their anger during planning commission meetings. Planning commissioners can be the target for verbal abuse and hostility. And this is despite the fact that the vast majority of local planning commissioners receive no pay (or just a negligible per diem) and are serving on the commission to "contribute" their time and energy to their community. As we've noted before, planning commissioners are too often under-appreciated given the amount of time and dedicated effort they put in.

Those of us who have served on planning commissions know the importance of "keeping our cool" during a heated public meeting. Of course, that advice can be hard to keep in mind in the midst of a meeting. And it can be equally hard to show respect to members of the public who fail to show respect to those on the commission. But during my travels across the U.S. this Summer, I had the opportunity to see several planning commissions in action -- and I was gratified by what I saw.

One of the most important steps a commission can take is to set the right tone for the meeting at its outset.

In O'Fallon, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, planning commission chair Gene McCoskey did just that during the commission meeting I attended this past June. Taking just a few minutes, McCoskey (on the right in the inset photo below) provided those attending the planning commission meeting with an orientation to the meeting -- including brief introductions, a review of how the meeting would be run, and what the planning commission's role is. These opening remarks set the tone for a civil and productive meeting.

McCoskey and his fellow commissioners also listened intently during lengthy, often angry, public comments about a development proposal on the evening's agenda. They asked a few questions to clarify points, but basically sat and listened, and then offered the developer and his team the chance to respond. By showing an open mind and being respectful to all, the commission left those attending -- whatever side they were on -- knowing that they were heard.

Just as providing introductory remarks and listening respectfully is important, so is having plenty of copies of the agenda and any staff recommendations on hand. It also makes sense, if at all possible, to have these available online in advance of the meeting.

Yes, it takes a time commitment to do all this. But it can pay dividends not just in facilitating meetings, but in sending a message to residents that local goverment cares about their input, and is not trying to hide anything from view.

Note: In the Fall issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal, Elaine Cogan also wrote about the importance of the first few minutes of a commission meeting. I'm setting out excerpts from her article below. The full article is available to order and download.

Where We Sit

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Planning commissioners, as well as elected officials, probably don't think much about their meeting room and the impact it can have on citizens. But meeting rooms -- especially the raised dais that commissioners and elected officials are typically seated on -- can have an intimidating effect on citizens, especially those who rarely (if ever) attend government meetings.

Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu touched on this recently: "The defining moment for Josh Daines came while standing before the Des Moines City Council last summer, beseeching members to remove one of their own who had ties to the CIETEC scandal. The diminutive Daines recalls looking up at the members and feeling intimidated, even with two master's degrees and his own marketing business. ... 'There is a reason why those City Council seats are so high,' quips the 37-year-old Daines. 'You look up at them while they're speaking and they're looking down at you. There is a perception that they are very powerful and you are just a citizen.' " (Nov. 2, 2007).

Quip or not, I know from my own experience speaking before our City Council here in Burlington, Vermont, I still feel pretty tense going up to the podium and seeing the fourteen City Councilors arrayed on an elevated platform -- and that's despite the fact I know most of the Councilors!

In Mesa County, Colorado, I sat in on a meeting of the Planning Commission held in an ornate, but quite large and formal room. Besides being well elevated, the Commissioners were set far back from the public and at a sharp angle. See the photos below.

This made for a challenging setting. And you could see some of those citizens going up to the lectern look more than a little nervous.

Long-time Planning Commissioners Journal columnist Elaine Cogan has also commented on this. "Most planning commissions hold their meetings in rooms that are designed -- purposefully or not -- to intimidate the public. Commissioners sit on a raised dais, often built of fine, imported wood, high above and yards away from anyone who might want to approach them."

If at all possible -- especially when designing a new meeting space -- try to hold your meetings in a more relaxed setting. This will make those attending feel more comfortable in what for them may already be a tense situation.

Of course, many planning commissions are stuck using existing meeting rooms that are far from ideal. But there are other things you can do to create a more welcoming environment. Take Mesa County. While the setting, as I noted, was imposing, Chairman Mark Bonella did a great job in creating a less formal atmosphere by welcoming citizens when they came to the lectern, and reassuring those who seemed nervous. The effective use of video monitors in the Mesa County chamber also made it easy for everyone attending to see the same documents the commissioners were viewing on their laptops.

I'll lay out some more ideas for creating a welcoming atmosphere in my next post.

The Fountain of Time

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Public art can enhance our lives -- and our cities. That's certainly the case in Chicago. 

I had some time while in Chicago a couple of weeks ago for the Greenbuild Conference to visit with my daughter. One thing we did was to go to Washington Park not far from the University of Chicago campus to see Fountain of Time, a magnificent sculptural work completed by Lorado Taft in 1922.

Made of reinforced concrete, Fountain of Time had deteriorated over time. But the city recently completed a major restoration of the sculpture.

It's a dramatic and moving work -- based on poet Henry Austin Dobson's line: "Time goes, you say? Ah no, Alas, time stays, we go."

Lorado Taft studied at the University of Illinois, and then at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. While best known for his book, The History of American Sculpture, Taft also sculpted a number of large-scale pieces.

[The photo of Taft on the right, from the University of Illinois web site, was taken in 1929.]

His last major design was the Pioneers and Patriots sculptural groups for the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, dedicated in 1932. Taft died four years later.

Note: public art, besides bringing us pleasure, knowledge, and emotional connections, can also bring other benefits. Take a look, for example, at the Project for Public Spaces' web page: How Art Economically Benefits Cities.

Local Boy Makes Good, part II

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Coincidentally, less than a week after touring the Reagan boyhood home in Dixon, Illinois, I had the chance to visit another home of a former President -- Harry S. Truman. (I squeezed this in right before giving a talk to Kansas City area planners and planning commissioners a few weeks ago).

The house at 219 North Delaware Avenue in Independence, Missouri, was where Bess Truman grew up. Her grandparents bought it in 1904.

After marrying Bess on June 28, 1919, the couple lived there (also using it as the Summer White House during Truman's presidential years) for the rest of their lives: until Harry's death in 1972, and Bess' death (in her home) in 1982, at the age of 97. [See photo below of Harry and Bess on their wedding day].

The house is now a National Historic Site, and maintained just as it was when Harry and Bess lived there.

The interior is both dignified and comfortable. Truman's study is a cozy room, and makes it easier to understand how he could have read almost a book a day there. The family room was also a special place for the Trumans, with its piano and large collection of music. As a small concession to modernity, there's also a TV tucked away in one corner -- but apparently it was seldom used.

The living room is more formal. That's where visiting dignitaries from around the world usually met with Truman after his Presidency. [See photo below from the NPS web site; the Park Service does not allow visitors to take photos inside].

Occupying a central spot on a wall in the foyer is a portrait of their daughter Margaret (Now 83, Margaret's the author of a best-selling series of murder mysteries, and several other books). And you'll also find one of Truman's coats and hat still hanging, tucked away under the stairwell.

After Truman's term ended and he returned with Bess to live year round at 219 North Delaware, visitors regularly roamed the streets to try to catch a glimpse of the Trumans.

The admiration that many Americans have for Truman continues, with over one million people having visited the house since it opened to the public after Bess' death.

About a mile down Delaware Avenue is the site of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Truman also had an office there after he retired. And as an aside, there's also a time capsule out front -- for those of you who recall my post about time capsules.