John B. Conglose
Community Economic Development Agent
Huron County
Ohio State University Extension
An old saying amongst those in the planning profession is that if you fail to plan, in reality what you are doing is planning to fail. Communities are always facing this dilemma. If the community you work, play, and live in does not have a plan for its future, what ultimately may happen is that the community will fail to adapt to change. The community will fail to take advantage of opportunities.
The concept of comprehensive planning is very much related to the economic prosperity of communities. A comprehensive plan can be used as a tool to plan for the future growth or decline of a local community. Most importantly, it can be used as a tool to address the constant change and evolution of a community. Comprehensive plans are sometimes referred to as land-use plans, because in many cases they are dealing with issues related to the appropriate uses of land. In many cases, comprehensive plans are prepared to address compatibility issues between various uses of land, management and preservation of natural resources, identification and preservation of historically significant lands and structures, and adequate planning for infrastructure needs. In other instances, comprehensive plans are utilized to address issues related to schools, recreation, and housing.
The issue of comprehensive planning in the United States has been addressed since the birth of the country. The original Williamsburg was one of the first highly successful products of an attempt to create a land-use plan in the colonies. In 1699, Williamsburg was laid out under the most detailed piece of town-planning legislation adopted in the English Colonies up to that point. Williamsburg reflected what is referred to as "axial planning," which means that it is formal, yet not pompous.1 Many consider the modern phase of American City Planning dated to the Columbian Exposition of 1893. The modern era of planning for growth and development began, however, in 1900, when, at an annual meeting of the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C., several papers were presented dealing with the beautification of government buildings in the capital. This resulted in the appointment of a committee responsible for the work of preparing a plan for the District of Columbia's park system. A final plan for the District Park System was completed in 1901. The impression left from this final plan was shared with many cities and villages throughout the country. Public improvement groups in these communities were created and became devoted to applying a new gospel of planning in communities. This early concept of this process was referred to as the "City Beautiful Movement." This movement established two aspects of the local comprehensive planning process that are still in use today -- the professional consultant in the field of comprehensive land-use planning and the planning commission, many of which are in existence in communities all across the country. The City Beautiful Movement was the beginning of what is more commonly referred to today as "Comprehensive Planning." 2
Comprehensive planning is an attempt to establish guidelines for the future growth of a community. The term comprehensive means exactly what it says. It should be a comprehensive or all-inclusive approach at addressing the issue of the future growth of a community. A comprehensive plan is the document that is the final product from the efforts of this process. The document is official in nature, meaning that some form of local government should adopt it into local law. The document should then be used as a policy guide to decisions about the development of the community.
According to William I. Goodman, a well-known author on the subject of comprehensive planning, the key principle in the concept of the comprehensive plan is that it is an instrument to be used by those leaders in a community who establish the policies and make the decisions regarding physical development. According to Goodman, there are six basic requirements which the plan document should fulfill:
Goodman goes on to say that there are six basic requirements to the procedure for creating a comprehensive plan:
The elements of a comprehensive plan can vary from community to community. In most cases though, the plan consists of a study of existing conditions and a discussion of future trends, goals, and objectives. Land-use patterns, housing conditions, population, roadways, and other infrastructure are usually the principle elements that are studied.
In some cases, educational facilities along with recreation and other government facilities are reviewed. Social service facilities can also be discussed. Comprehensive plans deal with the land-use related issues relevant to each of these topics.
A comprehensive plan should be a vision of what a community is to be in the future. The process of developing this plan should be a community-wide effort. All interest groups should have a part in determining what this vision should be. Goals and objectives should be developed along with a time frame for implementation. The contents of a comprehensive plan can vary from community to community but in most cases, it should consist of the following elements: land use -- both existing and future; demographics -- existing and projected; housing; infrastructure; education; recreation; and thoroughfares. The first phase of the process consists of collecting all available data on these topics. A citizens participation process should also be developed. After analyzing all existing data and taking input from the citizenry into consideration, goals and objectives can then be developed.
Before any work begins on the comprehensive plan, a leader should be appointed to coordinate this project. A committee should also be appointed to provide direction to the person or persons held responsible for developing the plan. A popular scenario is to have the county commissioners or village (city) council appoint the committee and assign the task of leading the process to an administrative department head or consultant.
One of the first steps in the comprehensive planning process is to collect data on existing conditions. The data that is to be collected should relate to each of the elements that will make up the plan. For example, obtaining existing zoning maps or existing land-use maps that have been developed in the past can be a starting point for reviewing current land-use information. If this information is not available, then a survey of the existing uses of land may have to be conducted. A classification system must then be developed that identifies the various types of land use that are in existence. Typically, existing land uses can be identified as falling into three major categories -- residential, commercial, or industrial. Additional categories can include recreation/open space, agricultural, and government. You can then break down each of the three or more categories into other classifications within each category. For example, you can have multi-family (meaning more than one unit) and single family as two classifications within the residential land-use category. The industrial land-use category can be divided into heavy industrial classifications or light industrial classifications. Each parcel of land within the community should be classified and identified on a map with a specific classification.
If housing is an element of the comprehensive plan, data must also be collected regarding existing housing in the community. Information pertaining to conditions, age, number of units, whether or not each unit has adequate plumbing and kitchen facilities, whether the unit is owner- or renter-occupied could be relevant information. Most of this data could be obtained from available U.S. Census Bureau information. This is also true for collecting data related to the demographics of the community population. However, a more detailed house- by-house survey may also be desired.
If a study of transportation is going to be part of the comprehensive plan, then a review of the existing roadway system in the community can be conducted. This can be initiated by reviewing existing maps of the community. As part of the transportation element, a review of current transportation services can also be included.
Various types of data collection can be used, depending upon what elements are to be included in the comprehensive plan. It is important to remember that most information is readily available through a number of sources.
Once all of the data has been collected, the next step in the comprehensive planning process is to analyze the data. The coordinator and committee should take time to study data that has been collected in each of the various categories. The data should be analyzed for trends or other types of significant points. Upon thorough review and analysis, the next step in the process is to come up with goals and objectives.
The comprehensive plan should conclude with a set of recommendations established by the committee. The recommendations should be in the form of goals and objectives. The objectives should consist of strategies to address each of the goals that have been established.
Throughout the entire comprehensive planning process, citizen input should be obtained.
After all, the comprehensive plan is a document for the community. The citizens of the community should have a say as to what their community should be like in the future. There are a number of ways to obtain citizen input. A series of open forums or public meetings is a good way to obtain public comment. News releases explaining what is being worked on and inviting written comments are other ways to obtain input from the public. Many communities include a citizen survey as part of the comprehensive planning process and incorporate the results into the body of the plan. Citizen input helps to determine the goals and objectives of the plan.
In 1972 President Nixon appointed a Citizen's Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality. This committee established a task force to study land use and urban growth. The task force consisted of prominent people at the time, including Lawrence S. Rockefeller from the famous Rockefeller family and Mayor Pete Wilson from the city of San Diego, California. Other appointees were experts on various subjects from the academic, legal, banking, land development, and conservation communities. A nine-month study was funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. A final report was published entitled The Use of Land: A Citizen's Policy Guide to Urban Growth. A major conclusion of this study and ensuing report was that land is a basic resource on which human activity ultimately depends. Planning its wise use is considered to be the best tool to aid citizens to guide growth toward achieving economic benefits and protecting environmental quality.5 This conclusion is still true 27 years later. Comprehensive planning is a tool that citizens can use to achieve this goal.
American Planning Association, 122 South Michigan Avenue Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60603, 312-431-9100, fax 312-431-9985. www.planning.org.
Ohio Planning Conference, 129 South Third Street Suite 510, Columbus, OH 43215-7100, 614-221-4349.
Ohio State University Extension, Community Development, 700 Ackerman Road Suite 235, Columbus, OH 43202-1578, 614-292-8436. http://www-comdev.ag.ohio-state.edu/.
Principles and Practices of Urban Planning. 1968. William I. Goodman, Ed., and Eric C. Fruend, Assoc. Ed. Chicago, Ill. International City Managers Association.
How Will America Grow? A Citizen Guide to Land-Use Planning. 1976. Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality. Washington, D.C.
The Practice of Local Government Planning. 2nd. Ed. 1988. Frank S. So and Judith Getzels, Eds. Chicago, Ill. International City/County Management Association.
The Small Town Planning Handbook. 2nd. Ed. 1995. Thomas L. Daniels, John W. Keller, and Mark B. Lapping. Chicago, Ill. American Planning Association Press.
1 William I. Goodman, Ed., and Eric C. Fruend, Assoc. Ed. Principles and Practices of Urban Planning. Chicago, Ill. International City Managers Association. 1968. p. 1.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality. How Will America Grow? A Citizen Guide to Land-Use Planning. Washington, D.C. April 1976.
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