Planning Quote of the Day

an orthodontist (retired at age 45)

"An orthodontist (retired at age 45), a phys ed teacher (retired at age 50), and a university professor (retired at age 59) ... all embarking on second (and in the orthodontist’s case, third) careers. Careers that don’t necessarily serve them financially, but serve society. I would love to have people like this in Erie…people with ideas, ambition, and a desire to give back. Oh yeah, and they have money, too ..."

-- from Oh, Those Retirees Are Such a Burden, posted on the Eriepressible blog (Sept 17, 2007)

target profit levels

"A developer will perceive a lower level of risk if the approval process has fixed standards, a predictable procedure, and a time-line set by a standard schedule. ... But when the approval process becomes open-ended as to the criteria being considered, or incurs a protracted review time, the level of risk climbs exponentially. Developers will correspondingly increase their target profit levels to cover the risk."

-- Wayne Lemmon, from Proforma 101: Getting Familiar With a Basic Tool of Real Estate Analysis, in PCJ #65 (Winter 2007). See also our discussion with Wayne Lemmon about his article.

preservation of natural spaces ... a victory of spiritual values

"Open spaces enhance sustainable economic development. They provide crucial places for recreation, education, and aesthetic and spiritual inspiration and enrichment. The preservation of natural spaces is a victory of spiritual values over short-term material greed. Progress entails protecting natural open spaces
so they will be available in their natural state for our children and later generations. That’s what responsible, forward-looking stewardship is about."

-- Salt Lake City Mayor Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson, from his State of the City Address, 2007 (pdf file)

demand for public transit

"We are now living in a time when challenges of global warming, an aging society, and energy security ... will lead to a dramatic increase in demand for public transit."

-- Dale Marsico, Director of the Community Transportation Association of America (speaking during a panel discussion at the University of Vermont, Sept. 21, 2007).

Editor's Note: see our Getting fannies on the bus blog posting for more on this panel discussion of rural/suburban public transit.

opportunity for misadventure

"With so many railroad crossings, there's a lot of opportunity for misadventure."

-- Vincennes (Indiana) Mayor Terry Mooney (in discussing with PCJ Editor Wayne Senville some of the problems with having 84 railroad crossings in his small city; see related blog post)

assigned to a dusty shelf

The formal adoption by the Planning Commission of a comprehensive plan for Lafayette Parish is a major step forward for the community. Six years ago, we were confident that such a plan, called Lafayette in a Century, was ready for implementation. ...

We were overly optimistic. ... the plan was shelved and, for the most part, has gathered dust until now. ... Why was the original effort assigned to a dusty shelf? City-Parish Councilman Bruce Conque, who served on the LINC steering committee, says the plan bogged down in committees and subcommittees. ...

While the plan for growth has been gathering dust, city-parish government has been dealing with an increasing number of problems concerning development projects. ...

-- From Editorial, " 'New' plan will guide Lafayette's growth," in The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana; Sept. 10, 2007)

Editor's Note: make sure to dust off your planning shelves!

a full suckling pig ... with six violins, two violas

"A Haitian Choral and Orchestral Symphony, and Free Neighborhood Pig Roast! ... Come to the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market Sunday September 9th for a free neighborhood Bar-B-Que!

There will be free-range pork and lamb on the grille, vegetables and fruits in the stands, and a full suckling pig roasting in a fire pit! There will also be music from a group of 50+ choral and classical musicians from Port Au Prince, Haiti, playing with six violins, two violas, two cellos, a double bass, a flute, and a Haitian tambour drum. Come and celebrate ..."

-- excerpt from message from Martha Cherlot of the Embassy of Haiti posted on the Bloomingdale blog (about Washington, DC's Bloomingdale neighborhood)

the Shanghai of the United States

"In terms of construction, we're going to be the Shanghai of the United States."

-- Richard Reinhard, Deputy Executive Director for Planning & Development of Downtown DC (discussing the building boom in Washington with PCJ Editor Wayne Senville on June 1, 2007; for more on Wayne's conversation with Richard.

responsible planning is a creative art

"Responsible planning is a creative art using data from the past and knowledge of interrelationships to create new and better communities for the future."

-- Larry Gerckens, FAICP, from his K is for Knowledge in his Planning ABCs

37% - Local Planning Commission

"...  Which of the following should have the most input in determining the appropriate level of new development in your community?

37% - Local Planning Commission
25% - City Council/Mayor
9% - Land Developer
9% - County Gov't
8% - Don't Know
2% - State Legislature

-- from "Utahns Want Local Leaders Regulating Land Use," posted on Lincoln's Legislative bLOG (reporting the results of a survey commissioned last year by the Utah League of Cities & Towns)

unicorn-hugging wackos

"These people aren't a bunch of tie-dyed, unicorn-hugging wackos, these folks look like your neighbors ..."

-- Fort Worth, Texas, blogger "Steve-O" in a post about a meeting on "whether the eight-acre [Trinity Trees] tract of old growth urban forest would be preserved or go to the bulldozer."

note: the Caravan of Dreams blog has a series of posts about this issue

chase brainpower

"It's more important to chase brainpower than smoke stacks."

-- Tim Brennan, Executive Director of the Pioneer Valley (MA) Planning Commission (quoted in "Hidden Tech" in PCJ #61, discussing importance of "virtual workers" to the regional economy).

proud of a Wal-Mart

"I never thought I'd say I'd be proud of a Wal-Mart."

-- Chris Ledesma, Chair of the West Sacramento, California, Planning Commission (describing the design of the city's new Wal-Mart in a conversation with PCJ Editor Wayne Senville, July 9, 2007).

culturally familiar foods

"The tradition of public green space has deep roots in America, where the first settlers created town commons to provide community land for pasturing farm animals. Now as a new generation of immigrant families arrives, 'community gardens' offer a place to grow culturally familiar foods in settings that help to facilitate social integration. And for rural immigrant families relocated to densely populated areas, these garden plots help create a sense of food security and a connection to nature."

-- Jim Flint, from "A Place to Grow" (sidebar in PCJ article "Community Food Needs & Opportunities"). Flint is executive director of Friends of Burlington Gardens.

our particular Eden

"In the city of Vancouver itself, paradise making went into high gear in the mid-1970s. An extraordinary cast of characters changed the direction of this town, city hall’s way of doing business, how we planned, and who participated. Stopping the freeways was just the preliminary move. ...

A look back at the motivations of the leaders who shaped our particular Eden makes one thing clear: Not for a moment did they believe they would be keeping this place to themselves. Or that people would give up the pursuit of prosperity. But they understood that they needn’t accept progress at any price. ..."

-- Gordon Price, from Paradise Making in the Sun on the Price Tags blog

seeking the four-bit room

"In popular culture we could ... see the old mansion divided up into apartments as something cool and modern. The perfect place for a single gal at age 30: Mary Richards. Mary Tyler Moore’s character lived in a former mansion turned apartments. Cloris Leachman played Moore’s landlady — at least the building was owner occupied, right? Some rooming houses still exist but they are very hard to find. ... Getting permission to rehab an existing rooming house is not likely given today’s climate of people only wanting neighbors just like themselves. Today few choices exist for those seeking the four-bit room.

We need to increase our housing options for the working poor. This doesn’t mean a hand out, just not forcing out viable choices via zoning or other methods. To me it is in our best interests to catch people with such housing on the way down — a far better way to solve the problem than pulling them up from park benches after several years on the streets."

-- Steve Patterson, posted on Urban Review STL blog

do you automatically assume

"Do you automatically assume that a developer is motivated only by greed when he proposes to cut down an ancient tree, or that an environmentalist has no concerns about economic growth when advocating saving a wetland? A 'guilty before proven' attitude prevents you from understanding others' points of view and adding to your understanding of complex issues."

-- Elaine Cogan, from Now that You're on Board: How to Survive ... and Thrive ... as a Planning Commissioner

a lot about nothing

"We don't specialize in anything, but we know a lot about nothing."

-- Steve Calfee, Community Development Director for Placerville, California (comment to Wayne Senville about planners in Placerville, July 7, 2007)

speak to the media

"Every planning commissioner should see it as part of their job to be prepared to speak to the media."

-- Matt Weiser, reporter for the Sacramento Bee (from conversation with Wayne Senville on July 8, 2007)

out of scale

"When a pedestrian on the street feels overwhelmed by the sheer bulk and size of a structure one thing is certain: it is not the pedestrian who is 'out of scale' -- it is the building."

-- Ilene Watson, from An Introduction to Urban Design

Dante's Inferno after three hours

"The length and pace of our hearings has a direct impact on the quality of public participation and decision-making. ... What affects do long meetings have on one's temperament? Sometimes you can see distinct changes in attitude -- what would have been a difficult meeting in an hour or two becomes Dante's inferno after three hours."

-- Ric Stephens, from Late Nights with the Commission (Planning Comm'rs Journal article)