Does Your Planning Board Reflect Your Community?
PCJ columnist Elaine Cogan on the value of diversity in planning board membership.
The Effective Planning Commissioner
Long-time Planning Commissioners Journal and PlannersWeb columnist Elaine Cogan focuses on how planning commissioners can do their job most effectively.
Is it Glitz? Is it Real?
Why it’s important for planning commissioners to look behind the pretty pictures, and beyond the enticing words, of polished presentations.
¿Habla Usted Español?
Elaine Cogan takes a look at several ways of reaching out to the citizens of your community for whom English is not their first language.
What Counts Most as a Planning Commissioner?
PCJ columnist Elaine Cogan takes a look at three valuable traits of an effective planning commissioner: patience, persistence, and passion.
Minor Irritants Can Become Major Problems
Columnist Elaine Cogan on what to do to prevent minor irritants from becoming major problems.
How Can We Harness Our Passion for Planning?
Ways in which you can tap the passion and enthusiasm of your constituents for the planning process.
Getting Out to Where the People Are
Elaine Cogan looks at how a shopping mall became the location for a creative planning event.
New Ways to Reach New (and Old) Audiences
A quick look at ways in which planning boards can obtain public feedback besides through a formal public hearing process
Who Hires Your Planning Director?
What attributes should you look for in a new planning director? Columnist Elaine Cogan describes what she learned from facilitating a series community forums as part of Portland, Oregon’s search for a new planning chief.
When Is Enough Enough?
How long have you served as a planning commissioner? How long should you serve? Elaine Cogan asks whether you know when enough is enough.
Meeting Formats Should Follow Their Functions
A poorly thought out and sloppily executed agenda can hinder the smooth operating of your meeting. Tips on how to better organize your agendas.
Homogeneous Commissions in Heterogeneous Communities
In increasingly diverse communities, it is essential that all planning board members reach out beyond their ordinary circles of relationships. Elaine Cogan discusses several ways in which commissioners can do this.
Teaching “New Dogs” New Tricks
How to deal with newcomers to your board who either hold up meetings with question after question or are too nervous to jump into the discussion.
