City Planner - What is a City Planner?

So, it occurs to me that many of you may not know what a City Planner is or does. Here's a little idea about what I do every day:

First, a little history. Cities in various forms, shapes, and sizes have existed since the beginning of the human experience. Ever since people began to gather together in groups to gain mutual benefit, cities have thrived. If you were a cart maker, for example, it might make sense to live next to the person who makes wheels. And so on. There are things that take up a lot of space (like growing food) and things that can be done in a smaller space (like a blacksmith shop). The things that take up less space tend to group themselves together. This also provides for community safety and protection. As time progresses, several regions become more specialized in certain activities, drawing people from far and near to trade for the valuable commodities (salt mines, spices, silk, whatever). People begin to appreciate that the flow of goods from one place to another leads to wealth, and that wealth leads to an easier life. Easy lives allow time for the pursuit of activities not possible in other circumstances, such as arts, education, and religion. In this way, living in a city has led to the development of civilization (which comes from the same Latin root as our modern word city).

The problem lies in property rights. Who can do what on their property is a real challenge. In the western world, certain societal norms have developed regarding this sort of thing that help dictate what is acceptable and what should be avoided in close proximity. Thus, it becomes the planner's job to review land uses for compliance with these norms. This prevents the storage of nuclear waste immediately adjacent to an elementary school, a porn shop next to a church, or a waste-water treatment plant upstream of your favorite swimming hole... These things are at the very micro-scale of what planners do.

On a larger scale, planners concern themselves with the transportation network of a region. Larger metropolitan regions have designated transportation councils, and states and the federal government have their departments of transportation. So why does our road system fail so frequently? Good question. The answer is that the very nature of transportation is a dynamic and a fluid thing. In an example I am familiar with, the sudden explosion in the housing market in a certain area turned a large stretch of farm land and sheep ranch into houses in the course of 10 years. Why couldn't planners have noticed that and done something about it? Well, they did and they are. But these things take time and political will.

No planner works in a vacuum (that would be called a dictatorship) and we are accountable to the elected officials who really govern the City. They control one of the strongest tools in the community - the budget. If there is political will to create or widen a road, it can happen. But city councils can be overly cautious and this can help lead to infrastructure failures. If a city council is progressive enough, and if the planner is doing an good job, then the potential for these kinds of problems can be reduced.

Planners also concern themselves with the way that a community looks. The number of parks and their relationships to each other, trails and other open spaces, and the community design overall are all things that a conscientious planner will look at. Planners review the code (law) of their cities to ensure that the code is appropriate and that it is being followed. Planners also help determine which uses are best placed near each other (day care facilities in residential areas are good;not good in heavy industrial areas).

Much of this probably seems either mundane or easy. At times it can be both. But it is challenging in that there is a lot of technical information that must be reviewed for compliance and accuracy, that the various needs of the several involved parties are considered and clarified, and that the city continues to move along the path desired by the community at large. It's a rewarding and exciting thing to do. Personally, I really love it.

One of the things that I am trying to do is promote citizen participation. This blog is one avenue that I am attempting to reach out to people in the community to solicit input. If you have something to say - please comment. If you would like a face-to-face meeting - even better. Come on by! It is my belief that as we all work together on our community, it will be able to retain its character and stay a great place to live.

Next time - more about property rights...