A Backward Glance … A Forward Look
In her final column after a 23 year stint writing for the Planning Commissioners Journal and PlannersWeb, Elaine Cogan takes a look back … and forward … at what’s changed, and what has not.
Most Important Skills for Planning Commissioners to Have
We asked respondents who have served as planning commissioners what they’ve found to be the most important skills in serving on a planning commission.
Why Were You Interested in Serving on Your Planning Commission?
What got you interested in serving on your planning commission? Here’s what we heard back in response to our survey question.
Diversity on Planning Commissions
How well does your planning commission reflect the diversity / demographics of your community? Results from our questionnaire.
Length of Service; Who Selects Commissioners; Recruiting New Members
How long do planning commissioners usually serve? Who selects them? How difficult is it to recruit new commission members? Some answers from our survey.
Planning Commissions at Work — What PlannersWeb Readers Told Us
An introduction to our August survey about the role and responsibilities of planning commissioners and staff; what it takes to run an effective public meeting; and more.
How to Fix Incentives
Your citizens are sick of throwing their hard-earned tax money — in the form of incentives — at businesses they don’t think give a damn about their community. How can we fix this situation?
Systemic Incentives Illness
As local government and nonprofit finances get tighter and tighter, it’s time we take a closer look at how we make use of economic development incentives.
Is Your Municipality Prepared to Handle Controversial Zoning Decisions?
Preparing in advance is very helpful in successfully navigating controversial zoning requests. Some pointers from attorney Ron Richards.
Use Incentives Right
Local governments often turn to the use of various incentives to promote economic development. But are they based on strategies set out in a local economic development plan? (You do have a plan?)
Neighborhood Vibrancy: Older and Smaller Can Sometimes Be Better
Why is it that neighborhoods with older, smaller buildings often seem more vibrant than those with larger, newer ones? Ed McMahon explores this question, highlighting some recent research.
From the Publisher: PlannersWeb to End Operations — Access to our Past Content
From the Publisher: PlannersWeb.com to end operations January 1, 2015. Click on link for details.
1099ers in Your Economy
For many of our communities’ most valuable workers, the very nature of being employed looks nothing like we traditionally think it does. In the U.S., we call many of these folks 1099ers, or freelancers or contract workers.
