Planning Commissioners Journal

Planning Commissioners Journal to be replaced by new membership-based PlannersWeb.com site this summer

We have just posted information about our transition plans:

How You'll Benefit as a PlannersWeb Member and have access to some 500 past Planning Commissioners Journal articles, plus new content.

Membership & Pricing Information. Receive 4 extra months' of membership by signing up now,

FAQ: Answers to Questions about Our New Site.

Download Our Two-Page Flier about the PlannersWeb.

Inventory Clearance on Reprint Collections & Back Issues

From Planning Comm'rs Journal Editor Wayne Senville:

As many of you know, with our Spring issue -- available shortly -- we're ending publication of the printed Planning Commissioners Journal. We've just posted information about our plans to re-launch our PlannersWeb.com site as a membership only online publication and resource. If you're a current Planning Commissioners Journal subscriber you'll also find an insert with detailed information enclosed in your copy of our Spring issue.

As we begin to transition to an all online publication and web resource, we are clearing our inventory. We've substantially reduced the prices on our reprint collections & back issues. Each of our reprint collections is now available for just $16.75, while our back issues are available for only $7.50 each (we have a very limited quantity of several back issues).This will likely be your last chance to purchase hard copies of our reprint collections & back issues. When our PlannersWeb site is relaunched on August 1st, the only hard copy publication that we plan to keep available for purchase will be our Welcome to the Commission Guide -- and that will only be available for order by PlannersWeb members.

Now Available: Our Spring Issue

Note to PCJ subscribers: Information was enclosed with the Spring issue with details on our plans to transition to an online publication. If your PCJ subscription did not end with the Spring issue, you should have received information on how your payment can be credited to our new members-only web site, or how you can obtain other PCJ publications or a refund. If you don't have this information, or are unsure of the status of your subscription, please call us at: 802-864-9083 (best between 1 and 4pm Eastern).

Order a print copy of this issue. Will be mailed out by May 7th -- $15.00.

Contents of our Spring 2012 Issue:
	Our Feature Article: Just What Do Planning Commissioners Do? by PCJ Editor, Wayne Senville Over the past twenty years, the primary goal of the Planning Commissioners Journal has been to help citizen planners -- especially members of local planning and zoning boards -- do their job better. But just what is the role and what are the responsibilities of a planning commissioner?
Challenges & Opportunities Eight of our regular contributing writers take a look at challenges and opportunities facing planning commissions and their communities: Autos & Aging by Hannah Twaddell Credibility Is Essential by Elaine Cogan Flexibility Is a Virtue by Carolyn Braun Engaging in Planning by Della Rucker The Place Where We Live by Edward T. McMahon Redefining Our Future by Wendy Grey Change & Its Impacts by Jim Segedy & Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy
Looking Back, Moving Forward We invited our readers to tell us about their home town, how their planning commission functions, and what they see as their major challenges. Brief reports from planners and planning commissioners in seven quite different communities.

Our Updated & Expanded Welcome to the Commission Guide for New Members

If you pre-ordered the Guide you should receive your order no later than April 6th. If you have not received the Guide by then, please phone us at: 802-864-9083.

Welcome to the Commission! A Guide for New Members Updated & Expanded 2012 Edition -- Now Including the Planning ABC's -- About the Welcome Guide & the Planning ABC's -- use the Shopping Cart button below to order -- or phone us at: 802-864-9083 (you can request an invoice)

Either order online using the Shopping Cart button to the right, or call us with your order: 802-864-9083. Local governments can request to be invoiced; please phone us. Full money-back guarantee: if, for any reason, you're not satisfied with the Guide, simply return your copy and we'll promptly refund your payment.

Just $19.75 each; plus $5.00 shipping regardless of how many ordered. insert # of copies desired

Our April Special Offer: Sizing Up Our Downtowns

Sizing Up Our Downtowns -- six articles (16 pages) from the Planning Commissioners Journal that can help you better evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your downtown -- available only as a .pdf download.

Sizing Up Our Downtowns includes:   Why Downtowns (Should) Matter to Planning Commissions Sizing Up Downtown Downtown Hurdles "We Don't Have Enough Parking" Downtowns Grow One Step at a Time No Such Thing as Free Parking

Use this button to order & immeidately download Sizing Up Our Downtowns for just $10.75. Substantial savings compared to ordering the articles individually.

A Good Day for Maryland

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Our thanks to the 304 of you who completed our survey form. We've been going through the many comments and suggestions you gave us -- and will be announcing our plans within the next few weeks.

But in the meantime, there's one outstanding piece of business. We randomly selected the two winners of Amazon.com gift cards ($25 each) for completing the survey.

All we can say is that it was a good day for Maryland! The winners were David Jenkins, Director of Planning & Community Development for the Town of La Plata, Maryland, and Kathleen Maher, Director of Planning for the City of Hagerstown, Maryland. And no, we have no connection with Maryland, other than the fact that I started my cross-country trip on U.S. Route 50 in Maryland five years ago.

Are Your Transportation Problems Stacking Up?

Take advantage this month of special pricing on our popular collection of articles on transportation planning.

Communities are coming to a better understanding of the critical relationship between zoning, land use, and transportation planning.

This collection of 14 articles from the Planning Commissioners Journal provides an excellent introduction to the transportation planning process, while also covering basic planning issues related to street and sidewalk design.

See what's included in Transportation Planning: Getting Started -- and order at this month's special price.

Start Your Summer With Major Savings:

What better time than now for some big savings? Receive four of our "Taking a Close" reprint booklets -- including more than 50 articles from the Planning Commissioners Journal -- plus our beautifully illustrated canvas tote bag, at a substantial discount this month only. The booklets included in this special offer:

Downtowns & Town Centers	Food, Farmland & Open Space
Green Essentials	Design & Aesthetics

Receive a package containing all four of the Taking a Closer Look booklets listed above -- including more than 50 articles from the Planning Commissioners Journal -- plus this terrific canvas tote bag illustrated by Paul Hoffman. Our regular pricing for these items: $94.00 for the four booklets, plus $21.00 for the tote bag, plus shipping. For July only, receive the four booklets and the tote bag for just $59.95 (plus $5.00 flat shipping regardless of the number of packages ordered). To view the detailed table of contents of each of the four Taking a Closer Look booklets, use the links above or click on the images. But you need to return to this page if you want to order all four booklets and the tote bag at this month's special price. Note: because of the substantial savings on this special, no additional Planning Comm'rs Journal subscriber discount is available. Local governments -- if you need an invoice, order by phone: 802-864-9083.

Inviting Them In -- Draft Article for Your Review

Note from Planning Comm'rs Journal Editor Wayne Senville:

This article is no longer available for review. We usually post draft articles on our web site for about two weeks to allow for comment. This article will be published in our Summer 2011 issue, due out at the end of July. Want to be sure you don't miss any draft articles while they're available for review? Simply sign up to receive them by email.

 

Wendy Grey Talks About Her PCJ Article on the Relationship Between Plans & Implementing Regulations

Note from PCJ Editor Wayne Senville. Our just published Spring issue features an article by PCJ contributing writer (and long-time Florida planner) Wendy Grey about a topic that virtually every planning commissioner will face -- the relationship of the local comprehensive plan and implementing regulations, such as zoning ordinances.

I asked Wendy some questions to further explore what she covers in her article.

Wayne Senville: In your article in our Spring issue ("The Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations: Putting Words Into Action"') you focus on ways of making the comprehensive plan and local land development regulations work better together. But in some communities, plans seem of distinctly secondary importance to land use regulations, since it's the regulations that have direct consequences for developers, businesses, and residents. This can be frustrating to members of local planning commissions, especially if they've invested a lot of time on working on the comp plan.

Are there suggestions you have for how comp plans can become more valuable in actually shaping land use policy and not just sit there on the proverbial shelf?

Wendy Grey: Since the land development regulations are intended to implement the plan, it is probably not practical, or helpful, to have every land use decision tied directly back to the comprehensive plan. But there are instances when relying on the plan can benefit the decision making process and remind folks why the plan is there.

Take rezonings as an example. Often, rezoning decisions revolve around whether the adjoining property owners object to the request. From a long range planning perspective, rezonings tie back directly to the future land use map, which depicts the desired relationships of land uses to each other. In reviewing rezoning requests, a significant part of the planning commission’s analysis should be based on whether the rezoning is consistent with the comprehensive plan, not just whether or not there are objections from neighbors.

Another way to keep the plan relevant is to spend some time reviewing it. Consider having an agenda item every few months that reviews some key objectives of the plan and how they are (or are not) being achieved. Based on these discussions, the planning commission may wish to recommend changes either to the plan or the regulations.

Wayne Senville: In many places, comprehensive plans seem replete with words like “may,” or “to the extent possible,” or “should consider,” instead of outlining what “shall” be done. In your article you discuss the difference between prescriptive plans (where language in the plan can almost be copied and pasted into land use regulations) and plans that build in more flexibility. How do planners and planning commissioners determine which approach would work best in their community’s comp plan?

Wendy Grey: The plan may have both types of policies, depending on the result you want to achieve. In the article, I use the example of comprehensive plan policies intended to promote downtown redevelopment. The plan could contain policies that specify exactly how tall buildings should be, the size of ground floor windows, and sidewalks widths. But that regulatory approach won’t necessarily encourage redevelopment and may actually impede reinvestment. In this example, the intent of the policy, as a guide to developing regulations, is more relevant than the specific standard. So, the plan directs the City to develop codes that address design features to create a safe and welcoming environment, but does not specify the precise standards.

On the other hand, prescriptive language is appropriate when the community value is very explicit. I recently reviewed major changes to the comprehensive plan in a coastal county in Florida. Many of the proposed changes moved the more regulatory language to the land development code. When it came to building heights along the coast, however, it was quickly decided that the four story height limit in the plan would not be removed. The control of building heights along the coast was such a strong community value that it was retained in as a requirement in the comprehensive plan, and, subsequently, the land development code.

Wayne Senville: It has often seemed to me that local zoning regulations face issues not addressed in the comprehensive plan, or not addressed very clearly, especially once the plan is five or ten years old. Zoning regulations then seem to be based more on ad hoc considerations or policy preferences of the governing body. What you almost end up with is the regulations leading the plan. Are there any ways of dealing with this?

Our Spring Issue: Putting Words Into Action

Several articles from our Spring issue can now be individually ordered & downloaded; click on the article titles below for details and to order.

Download a pdf for $16.75 or Order a print copy for delivery by mail for $15.75, plus postage

Contents of our Spring 2011 issue:
	Our Cover Story: The Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations by Wendy Grey, AICP Putting words into action. Strategies for improving how your planning and regulatory documents work together.
The Value of Debriefing by Jim Segedy, Ph.D., FAICP, and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP The five or ten minutes it takes to "debrief" a commission meeting can yield valuable ideas for improving future meetings.
	The End of the Strip by Edward T. McMahon The changing nature of retail may signal we're nearing the end of the era of strip commercial development.
A Question of Scale by Beth Humstone Demographic changes raise questions about what scale of development best fits neighborhoods and commercial districts.
	Charting an Economic Course by Gwendolyn Hallsmith If your local economy were a ship and you were preparing for a voyage, what would you need?
Welcome to the Tightrope Act by Della Rucker, AICP, CEcD It's vital that planning commissioners bring an economic perspective to planning -- and vice-versa -- though that can feel like balancing on a tightrope.
	Lighter, Cheaper, Quicker by Staff from Project for Public Spaces Some of the best public spaces have grown out of quick, cheap, incremental improvements.
Don't Take It Personally by Ric Stephens Four rules to help ensure all citizens know they will receive a fair and impartial hearing before the planning commission.
	Planning Sees "CW" Turned On Its Head by Dave Stauffer In city planning "conventional wisdom" has quite often been proven wrong.

In the "Center Ring" With New PCJ Contributing Writer Della Rucker

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Della Rucker is planner with an extensive background in economic development. She's also a talented writer. We're pleased that Della will be joining the Planning Commissioners Journal as a regular contributing writer. I recently asked Della several questions both about her first column for the PCJ, included in our just published Spring issue.

Wayne: In our Spring issue we're running your first column. It's titled "Welcome to the Tightrope Act." In it you say that planning commissioners "stand in the center ring" and need to balance market forces and community needs. I think many people would think of planning commissioners as focusing pretty much on developing the local comprehensive plan and reviewing development proposals -- not dealing with local economic concerns. Why do you take a broader view?

Della: The reason why I emphasized that approach comes from both my experience in what works best to make communities successful for the long run -- and the practical matters that I have observed over many years of sitting in planning commission meetings!

First, the big picture part: We have to start thinking of our communities less like sets of separate systems, and more like an ecosystem, where all of the parts directly impact each other. The land use decisions that a planning commission makes, and the physical and functional character they promote, don’t just impact what the place looks like -- they also impact how people feel about the community, whether they believe that the community is a worthwhile investment, and whether they have confidence in the community’s future. 

Similarly, when other agencies make decisions -- whether transportation, park and recreation departments, neighborhood and downtown nonprofits, school districts -- those decisions have a direct impact on the issues that are supposed to be the planning commission’s main responsibility.

We know all that in our guts, but the systems we are given to work with pretend that these issues are separate, and they often keep us from acting on that gut understanding. Since planning, by its nature, is a bit more, shall I say, omnivorous that some of the other systems, like engineering or recreation, the planning commission often becomes the place where the impacts that one decision has on other elements of the community most fully come out.

The second reason why I say that is simple observation: every planning commission in the country finds itself in that center ring sooner or later, trying to manage a whole range of impacts, and often without a whole lot of useful tools. And planning commissions often get the blame for the unintended and unexpected impacts of what other parts of the local government or other community organizations do. That’s why the article is titled “Welcome to the Tightrope Act” -- like it or not, as a planning commissioner, you’re part of the circus!

Wayne: In what sort of ways can planners and planning commissions better address their community's long-term economic needs?

Draft article on Affordable Housing & Its Economic Benefits

 -- DRAFT ARTICLE FOR YOUR REVIEW --

Understanding -- and Harnessing -- the Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Affordable Housing

by Rebecca Cohen and Keith Wardrip

 

Note from Planning Comm'rs Journal Editor Wayne Senville: This article is no longer available for review. We usually post draft articles on our web site for about two weeks to allow for comment. This article will be published in our Summer 2011 issue, due out at the end of July.

Want to be sure you don't miss any draft articles while they're available for review? Simply sign up to receive them by email.

 

A Back Issue Bonanza -- Our April Special

We're doing some Spring cleaning this month -- and you can benefit! We're offering the following 12 back issues of the Planning Commissioners Journal at more than 50% off. For recent subscribers, it's a great way to catch up. For long-time subscribers, you'll find issues worth making available to new members of your commission. For others, it's a chance to explore some excellent PCJ back issues.

To view the detailed contents of each back issue click on the issue covers or titles below. But you need to return to this page to order to receive the special discount price. Note: there is a $2.50 shipping charge per back issue, up to a max. of $5.00 for as many back issues as you order. Your order will be sent first-class or priority mail. Sorry, but no additional Planning Comm'rs Journal subscriber discount on these low prices. You can also order by phone: 802.864.9083. Best between 10am and 4pm Eastern. We can invoice local governments.

This Land Is Your Land -- Five articles focus on land use and takings claims, including the feature article "Taking Aim at Takings Claims," by noted land use attorney Dwight Merriam. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Center Places -- a growing number of suburban cities are seeking to create a hub for their community -- a look at some efforts and the challenges they face. Also in this issue: basics of developing roadway corridor plans; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Where We Remember -- Planners and planning commissioners often fail to give serious attention to cemetery needs; an overview of issues that come up in planning for them. Also in this issue: why downtown main streets are good for the environment; the importance of "framing" messages; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Housing for All? -- changes in public policy and design practices are beginning to prepare for the growing number of seniors who want to "age in place." Also in this issue: approaches to better engaging the public in planning; McMansions and the geometry of zoning; downtown economic development; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Roadways -- including three articles on roadways: planning for better roadscapes; dealing with commercial strips; and a look at the ITE urban thoroughfares reports. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Downtown Futures -- Editor Wayne Senville's trip across the U.S. focused on how a number of communities have sought to strengthen -- or create -- downtowns and town centers. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Pattern Books for Communities -- featuring a look at the growing use of pattern books. Also in this issue: an overview of GIS & planning; dealing with information overload; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Getting the Density You Want -- how you can plan for the density that works best for your community. Also in this issue: picking up the phone to generate citizen involvement; implementing the comp plan; improving roadways for everyone; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Libraries at the Heart of Our Communities -- featuring a report on the changing role of libraries and how they can become important economic engines of downtowns and neighborhoods. Also in this issue: tips on becoming a more effective public speaker, and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Zoning for Religious Institutions -- a primer on key zoning issues. Also in this issue: tips on preparing & implementing the comp plan; planning for public transit in rural communities; where's art in planning; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Child Care in Our Communities -- a look at how communities are responding to the challenge of providing for child care facilities. Also in this issue: understanding the "deep mystery" of traffic congestion; how to plan for our canine population; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Energy Independence -- a growing number of communities are taking steps to promote energy conservation and save money. Also in this issue: a look at planning-related issues facing our aging population; and more. $7.50, instead of standard $15.75 price (you must order here to receive the discount)

Join Us on Linkedin

Note from PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

We at the Planning Commissioners Journal have been increasingly using our Linkedin group page as a way to connect with planning commissioners and professional planners. Of all the social network sites, it seems the most conducive to having informative, helpful discussions -- free of rancor and personal invective.

We've also found it to be a much more effective place for posting comments than on our web blog where (unfortunately) there's a growing amount of spam we have to sift through. As a result, we'll no longer be accepting comments on our PlannersWeb blog, and recommend that anyone wanting to comment on anything posted on the PlannersWeb or published in the Planning Commissioners Journal start (or join) a discussion on our Linkedin group page. You'll find it's not hard to do!

Right now, there's a good discussion on our Linkedin group page about billboards, based (in part) on the article we recently published by Ed McMahon, "Billboards: The Case for Control;" a reply we posted from the Outdoor Advertising Association of America; and my own perspectives as someone living in Vermont, a state that has banned billboards for more than forty years.

It's quite easy to join Linkedin if you've not yet done so. Try it out. And be sure to join our Planning Commissioners Journal group. Hope to see you over there.

Have You Been a Planning Commissioner AND a Professional Planner?

From Planning Commissioners Journal Editor Wayne Senville: 

We’re looking for individuals who have served (or are serving) both as professional planners and as planning commissioners. Hopefully not in the same community at the same time! We want to run an article built around the special insights from those who have served in both capacities. If you’re willing to answer some questions and (perhaps) participate in an online discussion with others with the same experience, please contact me: pcjoffice@gmail.com ). Thanks! 

Interview with Beth Humstone about her article "Building Invisible Walls: Urban Growth Boundaries"

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

In our Winter issue you'll find an interesting article about a much discussed approach to managing growth: the use of urban growth boundaries (or "UGBs" as they're often called). PCJ contributing writer Beth Humstone, who has long experience as a planner -- and also served for several years as Director of what's now Smart Growth Vermont -- explains the basics of "UGBs" in her latest article.

I asked Beth to take a few minutes to respond to some questions I had about some of the points she makes in her article:

Wayne Senville:

One of the concerns I've heard about growth boundaries is that they increase housing costs within areas inside the boundary because the supply of developable land is constrained. Is this true? -- and what ways are there to prevent this from happening, or to minimize the impacts?

Beth Humstone:

Housing prices need not rise with urban growth boundaries, particularly where there has been adequate planning for growth. While land values may increase by constraining the supply of land available for development, higher densities may keep housing prices stable or even lower them. That's what Arthur C. Nelson and Casey J. Dawkins found in their 2004 report for the American Planning Association (Urban Containment in the United States, Planning Advisory Service Report 520).

To avoid raising housing prices, it is very important that the area within the growth boundary is sufficient to meet population growth for a reasonable time period, usually 20 years. The amount of land needed will be determined primarily by zoning densities and the supply of undeveloped or underdeveloped land that is appropriate for housing. In addition, some factor should be applied that takes into account that not all land needed for development will be available for this purpose within the twenty year time frame.

Because market demand and the availability of land for development are difficult to precisely project, it is important to monitor growth rates, housing and land prices, and densities of development within the growth boundaries over time. If prices rise to unacceptable levels, there are several options: increase the boundary to increase the land supply; increase densities and/or institute minimum densities; or adopt inclusionary zoning.

Wayne Senville:

In your article you point to municipal public service cost savings from having urban growth boundaries. Can you explain why that's the case?

Now Available -- the Winter 2011 Issue of the Planning Comm'rs Journal

Several articles from our Winter issue can now be individually ordered & downloaded; click on the article titles below for details and to order.

Subscribe to the Planning Commissioners Journal, and start with our Winter issue. Order online, or call our office: 802-864-9083. Note: government orders can call and request to be invoiced. Just want a copy of the Winter issue? Download a pdf for $14.75 or Order a print copy for delivery by mail for $15.75, plus postage

Contents of our Winter 2011 issue
Read PCJ Editor Wayne Senville's introduction to the Winter issue.
	Finding Your Local Economy's Hidden Treasure by Gwendolyn Hallsmith Recognizing your community's natural and cultural assets can lead to big economic benefits.
Cultural Asset Mapping by Rob Voigt Lessons learned from a project to map out four towns' cultural resources.
	Billboards: The Case for Control by Ed McMahon Why cities and towns benefit when they just say "no" to the continued proliferation of billboards. Available at no charge; use link above.
Eleven Principles for Creating Great Community Places by staff of the Project for Public Spaces Basic principles for transforming under-utilized public spaces into vibrant community places.
	Building Invisible Walls: Urban Growth Boundaries by Beth Humstone How urban growth boundaries work, and why a growing number of metropolitan areas are using them.
Practical Tips for Citizen Planners by Carolyn Braun Are you as effective as you can be in your job as a planning commissioner? Some tips for your consideration.
	The Tee-Ball Approach to Development (and How to Avoid It) by Jim Segedy, Ph.D., FAICP, and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP Planning for the impacts of new development can make a difference to your municipality's fiscal well-being.
Planners Central to a Changing American Dream by Dave Stauffer Some thoughts on the future of the great American dream: home ownership.

Participate in the PCJ Draft

No need to wait till the next NFL or baseball draft -- you can sign up right now for our own draft! ... 

Over the coming weeks we'll be making available for your review first drafts of articles planned for the Spring issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal. We welcome your feedback and comments on these drafts. Over the years the feedback we've received has led to improvements in virtually every article we've published.

We'll be sending out the draft articles by email. It's easy to sign up to receive these drafts. There's no obligation for you to comment on any particular article you receive; provide feedback on those articles that interest you most, or where you can draw on your own experiences.

Articles that will be available for review in the coming week:

• The Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations: Fitting the Pieces Together, by Wendy Grey, AICP
• The End of the Strip? by Edward T. McMahon

Also in the pipeline for February, draft articles by Della Rucker; Jim Segedy & Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy; Gwendolyn Hallsmith; Beth Humstone; and Dave Stauffer.

 

Interview with Ed McMahon about his article "Billboards: The Case for Control"

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville:

Our Winter issue includes an article by Ed McMahon, “Billboards: The Case for Control.” McMahon is a nationally renowned authority and speaker on sustainable development, land conservation, and urban design. He’s a Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute.

In his Planning Commissioners Journal article, McMahon argues that billboards are not only unsightly, but damage community character. He also responds to arguments commonly heard in favor of allowing billboards.

I asked Ed McMahon to take a few minutes to discuss some of the points he makes in his PCJ article:

Wayne Senville: Billboards have been a long-standing form of advertising. In fact, many older readers may have fond memories of Burma Shave signs along our roadways. Why have billboards become such a problem today that you're advocating that communities shut the door on all billboards?

Ed McMahon: In a relatively short time, outdoor advertising has gone from Burma Shave to Blade Runner; from small and folksy to huge and intrusive. We have now entered the era of digital billboards -- huge outdoor TV screens wasting energy while degrading the landscape and distracting drivers.

Today commercialism -- particularly in the form of outdoor advertising -- pervades our world to an extent unimaginable, even several decades ago.

Wayne Senville: One of the arguments in favor of having billboards is that they provide motorists with useful information. Isn't that often true?

Ed McMahon: No one needs billboards. The vast majority of billboards advertise products or services that have nothing to do with motorist information: beer, cell phones, strip clubs, you name it.

What’s more there are alternatives to billboards that provide motorist information at far less cost without degrading our landscape. For example, we have all seen  highway “logo signs” that advertise roadside services such as gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions. What’s more, information on roadside services is now readily available on smart phones, Blackberries, and vehicle information systems, like Onstar.

Wayne Senville: Is it really appropriate for government to be telling businesses how they can or cannot advertise their products? Why should advertising on billboards be treated any differently than advertising on TV, in magazines, or on web pages? Isn't this just a question of government imposing its aesthetic tastes?

Ed McMahon: Billboards are the only form of advertising you cannot turn off or ignore.  There is a vast difference between seeing an ad -- even the same ad -- in a magazine, newspaper, on television, or on the internet. The difference is freedom of choice. When you buy a magazine or turn on the television, you exercise freedom of choice. You can easily turn the page or change the channel if you don’t want to see an ad. 

In contrast, you have no power to turn off or throw away a billboard. Billboards force advertising on individuals and communities whether they want it or not. What’s more, billboards are on enormous structures that litter the landscape, cover entire buildings, block access to scenic vistas, and create a strident, hectic atmosphere in our cities and countryside.

Wayne Senville: Isn't it an unlawful taking of property rights for local governments to prohibit billboards? What about billboard that are already up?

Ed McMahon: Courts have long held that billboards do not derive their value from the private land they stand on, but from the public roads they stand next to. Courts call this the “parasite principle” -- because billboards feed like a parasite off roads they pay almost nothing to build, use, or maintain.

Carefully drafted billboard ordinances have met legal scrutiny for more than 50 years. Billboard regulation is not a legal problem, but a political problem. Curbing billboards is not easy, but it can and is being done.

Wayne Senville: In your article you mention several states, such as Vermont and Hawaii, that ban billboards. Doesn't this hurt local businesses who are trying to attract customers?

Ed McMahon: Vermont, Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii all ban billboards, so do thousands of cities, towns and counties. These communities have found that beauty and placemaking are good for business; ugliness and excessive commercialism are not. 

The former head of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce summed up this point of view, when he said “One of our greatest resources is our scenic beauty. Although there was some initial sensitivity that removing billboards might hurt tourism, it has had the opposite effect. Tourism is up for all  businesses, large and small.”

Wayne Senville: Do you find that the newer digital billboards represent a major change in the nature of outdoor advertising? If so, is it for the better or for the worse?

Ed McMahon: In addition to being intrusive and a major expansion of commercialism, digital billboards are huge energy hogs. Digital billboards make a mockery of efforts to go green. A chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council recently found that one digital billboard use 49 times the energy of a conventional billboard. Even the spokesman for a major outdoor advertising company acknowledged that a digital billboard use roughly five times as much energy as a single family house.

A community littered with ugly energy guzzling digital signs is the antithesis of a sustainable community.

---

We welcome you to weigh in. Join the discussion on the Planning Commissioners Journal Linkedin group page (you need to be a Linkedin user to view our group page; if you're not using Linkedin, I encourage you to try it out).