AICP - Plan and Policy Development (15%)

Steps in a Planning Process

pre-planning, planning, post-planning

steps in pre-planning process

community diagnosis and process design

community diagnosis

Determine your community’s purpose, capacity, and readiness for planning; and Identify key stakeholders

process design

establish budge, issue RFP if applicable, incorporate opportunities for public participation and education

steps in planning process

data collection/analysis, issue identification, goal and objective formulation, strategy formulation

steps in post-planning process

plan implementation, monitoring and assessment

visioning

a process whereby citizens attend a series of meetings that provide an opportunity to offer input on how the community could be in the future

Planners use visioning processes to

help citizens develop a conception of the future

ingredients of a vision statement

Positive, present-tense language; Emphasis on the region’s uniqueness; Inclusiveness of the region’s diverse population; A depiction of the highest standards of excellence and achievement; A focus on people and quality of life; A stated time period

advantages on visioning

Serves as a catalyst; Creates excitement about planning; Keeps the process on track; Keeps implementation moving forward

disadvantages on visioning

Adds to the cost of the planning process; Creates unrealistic expectations that the government can’t fulfill; Dependent on facilitator

home rule

an article or amendment to the state constitution grants cities, municipalities, and/or counties the ability to pass laws to govern themselves as they see fit

Dillon's Rule

the principle that cities, towns, and counties have no powers other than those assigned to them by state governments

General-purpose local government

counties, cities, townships, etc.

Single-purpose local government

school districts, fire districts, etc.

Special Districts

an independent unit of local government often created by referendum and organized to perform government functions in a specific geographic area

Area wide planning organizations

provide grants and planning assistance, coordinate intergovernmental activities

Regional planning agency

develops regional plans and reviews regional impacts and projects

Preemption

the law of a higher level of government limits or even eliminates the power of a lower level of government

Assessment

analyses the intended and unintended consequences of policies, plans, programs, and projects

Evaluation

examines a plan, project, or program against a set of criteria, usually to establish organizational accountability

fiscal impact analysis would involve looking at

A city's property tax rate; The average cost of educating a child in the local school system; The average cost per square foot of constructing a public building

fiscal impact analysis would not involve looking at

historic trends in assessed valuation

difference between fiscal impact analysis and economic impact analysis 

economic impact analysis focuses on the cash flow to the private sector (measured in income, jobs, output, indirect impacts, etc.)

Cost-benefit analysis

a quantified comparison of costs and benefits generally expressed in monetary or numerical terms

Environmental Assessment

required to determine whether there is a significant environmental impact

What are the four sections of the EIS

1. Introduction, which includes a statement of the Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action

2. Description of the Affected Environment

3. Range of Alternatives to the proposed action. Alternatives are considered the "heart" of the EIS

4. Analysis of the environmental impacts of each of the possible alternatives

An EIS must address what five topics

1. The probable impact of the proposed action

2. Any adverse environmental effects that cannot be avoided

3. Alternatives to the proposed action

4. Relationship between local short-term uses of the environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity of the land

5. Any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources that would be involved in the proposed action

policy analysis 

consistency with adopted programs and plans, identifying and mitigating challenges and obstacles

code and regulations

develop and interpret rules, regulations, policies, and programs

finance and budgeting

aligning and activating funding and financing options

predictive

before the fact

descriptive

after the fact

The gender wage gap, as of 2016, was:

20 percent

Consistency Doctrine

zoning should be consistent with a comprehensive plan (though this is not the law in every state)

A visioning plan's time horizon is typically:

20 to 30 year time horizon

An Environmental Impact Statement scoping process is designed to:

outline the process to the public and agencies, as well as providing the proponent's and others' suggestions as to alternatives. It is an initial process, not a final determination

mediation

Generally not binding on all parties

Fiscal Impact Analysis is generally focused on…

how a development or land use change will impact the finances of government, usually the local government serving the development