It’s Okay Not to Be A Professional Planner
Elaine Cogan looks at some of the benefits a citizen planner brings to the planning process.
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.
Elaine Cogan looks at some of the benefits a citizen planner brings to the planning process.
Holding a public hearing until the early hours of the morning after a full meeting on the budget is a sympton of a commission out of control, explains Elaine Cogan.
Elaine Cogan explains why patience, persistence, and passion are three important — though hard to quantify — measures of your effectiveness as a planning commissioner.
Are your planning commission meetings attended by accusers, attackers, gossip-spreaders, hair-splitters, old-timers, or yakkers? Some tips on how you can deal effectively with each of these types.
Do citizens fell welcome at your planning commission meetings from the moment they enter the meeting room door? Steps you can take to provide a welcoming environment.
Many planning commissioners feel that the media performs poorly when covering local planning issues. Reporters and editors disagree. A look at both sides of the story.
Visual aids can be a key part of a presentation. Yet we often fail to carefully plan for their use. Elaine Cogan provides some tips — and warns of some pitfalls.
A good working relationship between planning board members and staff is vital. How to strengthen this relationship.
Do you listen to what members of the public say at your planning commission meetings? Do people know that you’re listening?