Why Planning Matters
Date Posted: November 16, 2016
Posted In: Ideas,
From nextSTL: In addition to election day, today is World Town Planning Day, a time for us to reflect on the importance of planning in our communities. Yet it is sentiments like “we don’t plan, we develop”, that are heard rather loudly in the St. Louis metro and our current patterns of development reflect it in the patchwork of development projects and carved up street grids scattered around the region. What kind of message does this send about our commitment to community and good urban form?
Urban Land Institute senior fellow, Ed McMahon put it best in his 2014 TEDx talk, “…do you want the character of your community to shape new development or do you want new development to shape the character of your community?” Planning helps us preserve our community character and identity of place by establishing a roadmap, one informed by the very residents who will benefit most from its implementation.
Planning provides context and analysis for anchoring the community’s vision for the future via a data-centered assessment of conditions on the ground. By guiding residents through a visioning process using data profiles of existing conditions and forecasts of trends, planners can facilitate a discussion that is backed by research and analysis about the community. Residents have the opportunity to respond to evidence-based scenarios that allow them to select preferred alternatives grounded in facts rather than opinions. A well-planned community provides equal access to options for housing, work, rest, and play.
October was Community Planning Month, a time the American Planning Association (APA) sets aside each year to recognize and acknowledge planning achievements around the country. Each year, as a part of this recognition, the organization identifies a series of Great Neighborhoods, Streets, and Places via community nomination. Our own Central West End was recognized as a Great Neighborhood in 2014, Forest Park as a Great Public Space in 2013, Washington Avenue downtown as a Great Street in 2011, and Wydown Boulevard in 2010, indicating a national recognition for the great planning work happening in our region.