Why Don’t Planning Commissioners Get the Respect They Deserve?
You have to give respect to get respect, says Elaine Cogan in her look at ways in which planning commissioners can gain respect from the public they serve.
Elaine Cogan
Elaine Cogan, founding principal of the Portland, Oregon planning and communications firm of Cogan Owens Cogan, has consulted for more than 36 years with communities undertaking strategic planning and visioning processes. Elaine has been honored for her work on a variety of citizen involvement projects, including “Complete Communities for Clackamas County,” which received the American Planning Association's 2002 Public Education Award.
Between 1991 and 2009, her “The Effective Planning Commissioner” column ran in the Planning Commissioners Journal. All of her past columns (along with her new ones) are available here on PlannersWeb.com.
Is Your Community Being Invaded by NIMBYs?
Elaine Cogan offers strategies for dealing with NIMBYs when they show up at your meetings. Includes Sidebar, “Some Observations on NIMBY-ism,” by long-time planner, Perry Norton.
Ask Questions Well and You May Even Receive Worthwhile Answers
If you know how to ask questions well, you might even receive worthwhile answers!
Working Effectively With Elected Officials
Columnist Elaine Cogan takes a look at how planning commissioners and citizen planners can work most effectively with local elected officials.
Young Visionaries Make Good Planners
Elaine Cogan on how to involve kids in community planning workshops.
How Broad Is Your Planning Horizon?
Why it’s important as a planning commissioner to take the time to meet people outside your own circle.
There’s Help for Dysfunctional Meetings
Elaine Cogan offers “first aid” for meetings that don’t seem to work.
Customer Service Starts at the Front Door
To get an idea of what the public customer really faces, try approaching your planning office as if you were a citizen going there for the first time. Ideas on how to see whether your planning office works for the public.
More Form Than Substance? – How to Make the Most from Public Hearings
Elaine Cogan suggests some ways by which you can make the most from public hearings.
Let’s Talk About Followship
After discussing the role of the chair in her last column, Elaine Cogan looks at how the rest of the commission can most effectively participate in a meeting.
A Primer on the Politics of Plan Implementation
Roundtable Discussion about issues related to the adoption and implementation of the comprehensive plan.
Leading the Commission
Elaine Cogan explores how the chair can exert more effective leadership.
The Planning Commissioner and the “Vision Thing”
Elaine Cogan explains some planning jargon to help you understand several key steps in the planning process.
