Have you ever felt frustrated with the direction your city is going? Like the people in charge are taking things in a way that doesn’t match what you and your neighbors really want? I’ve been there too. But the good news is, you have more power than you realize over the future of your community. There’s this important thing called the Comprehensive Building Plans that lays out the vision for how and where your city will grow over the next couple decades.
The problem is, most people don’t really understand what the comprehensive plan is or how to influence it. But that’s about to change. Because if you learn how to get involved at the right time in the process, you can truly help steer your community toward the future you want to see.
What are Comprehensive Building Plans?
A comprehensive plan goes by other names too – some places call it the general plan or master plan. But whatever you call it, this document is basically the playbook for the future of your city. It covers big topics like:
- Land Use – What kinds of development will go where? How dense or spread out will things be?
- Housing – What types of housing are needed now and down the road as demographics change?
- Transportation – How will people get around by car, public transit, biking and walking? What investments are needed?
- Economic Development – How will the city support local jobs, businesses, and the tax base?
- Parks, Trails and Open Space – What kind of recreation opportunities are needed and where should they be located?
- Community Facilities – How should essential public assets like schools, libraries, hospitals and civic buildings serve residents?
- Resilience and Sustainability – How will the city adapt to changes like climate change and steward natural resources?
- And More – Infrastructure, historic preservation, arts and culture, code enforcement, etc.
As you can see, the comprehensive plan covers a ton of ground. It sets the basic policy direction on all these issues to guide future growth and community investments.
City staff and leaders use the plan to shape important steps like:
- Updating zoning rules and development regulations
- Making budget and funding decisions
- Planning transportation improvements
- Siting public facilities like parks and schools
- Setting priorities for programs and initiatives
Because it influences so many things, the comp plan is an incredibly important tool for shaping the future of your city!
Fresh Approach to Planning
In the past, many Comprehensive Building Plans were created in a pretty old-school way. The city planning staff and consultants would go off in isolation to write this big report. They’d come back with a “finished” plan and hold a few public meetings mainly just to present it. Residents could give some feedback, but the vision was already baked in.
As you can imagine, that process didn’t always result in a plan that truly reflected what everyday community members wanted and valued.
Luckily, times are changing when it comes to city planning. People today want to live in walkable neighborhoods that give easy access to shops, transit, and amenities. Urban living is becoming more popular, especially among younger generations who are seeking out cities first instead of just looking for suburban homes and commuting to jobs.
Homebuyers are willing to pay a premium for neighborhoods where they can get around by foot, bike or transit – not just cars. A recent study found buyers will pay 35% more, and renters a whopping 41% more, to have transportation options beyond just driving.
What does this mean for the comprehensive plan? For one thing, cities need to focus more on creating compact, mixed-use places people actually want to live and work in. They have to move beyond the old ways of strictly separating land uses through single-use zoning. The comp plan can’t just be about managing growth way out on the suburban fringe anymore.
Most importantly, a successful comprehensive plan reflects the true desires and values of the whole community – not just affluent homeowners or special interests.
For that to happen, planners have to reach out early to groups that have been left out of past planning like renters, immigrants, shift workers, young people and communities of color. Their voices and priorities need to help shape the vision too.
6 Ways You Can Help Influence the Process
So how can you actually have an impact when your city creates its next comprehensive plan? Here are 6 tips:
- Learn the Key Players
Start by getting to know who the important decision-makers and stakeholders are in your city’s planning. Which elected officials and city staff will be involved? What boards or commissions have a role? Are there influential community groups or business interests that will want input?
Understanding the players will help you strategize how to effectively engage in the process. Who can you build partnerships and alignment with? Who are potential obstacles you may need to convince? This insight will be invaluable.
- Meet People Where They Are
One big shift in planning is finding new ways to actually engage everyday residents – not just expect people to come to meetings.
Set up booths to involve folks at popular community events, parks and markets. Recruit a diverse team of community ambassadors to tap into their own networks and get more people involved. Make engagement super convenient through tools like online surveys or text-based input.
Provide stipends for lower-income residents or youth to participate. Find out when and where different groups already gather and see if you can show up, listen and get input. Go to faith congregations, jobs centers, college campuses and neighborhood hangouts.
The goal is removing as many barriers as possible to participation so you hear from all segments of the community.
- Get Up to Speed on Trends Impacting Cities
Before you dive into giving input, learn about forces that will shape future planning – things like driverless cars, the shift to remote work, climate change impacts, the e-commerce boom and more.
Check out resources like the American Planning Association’s regular Trend Reports for Planners to quickly get up to speed on the landscape. This will help you understand the bigger picture context as you consider what priorities to advocate for in the comp plan.
- Rethink Old Notions of Land Use and Zoning
How land can be used shapes everything in our cities. But strict separation of uses through single-use zoning categories is becoming less workable.
Advocate for more flexible land use policies and codes that allow diverse housing types along with shops, offices and micro-businesses to mix together. This creates the dynamic, walkable neighborhoods people increasingly want.
Look at examples and lessons from cities like Farmers Branch, TX and Moorhead, MN. They have adopted fresh approaches to land use in their comprehensive plans by using things like character areas and place types instead of just bureaucratic zoning categories.
- Address the Need for More Diverse Housing Options
One key way to make cities affordable and inclusive is ensuring the comp plan sets the stage for more diverse housing choices. Young professionals, aging boomers, immigrants, middle-income families – they all need different options.
Push for the plan to include a detailed study of housing supply, demand and demographic trends. This will uncover gaps and show where new policies are needed so developers can build a wider range of housing price points, styles and types.
- Stay Engaged Over the Long Haul
Influencing the comprehensive building plans isn’t just about showing up to a few meetings. This is a multi-year process that requires sustained focus.
There will be many chances to give feedback as drafts are created. Provide constructive ideas in writing and keep showing up. Build diverse coalitions of allies like civic groups, business leaders and social justice advocates. Meet regularly with city staff and officials to understand progress and keep them hearing your priorities.
Staying engaged throughout the process, and even after the plan is adopted, is crucial. The work doesn’t stop once the document is printed! Implementation is everything.
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You Really Can Help Shape the Future of Your City With Comprehensive Building Plans
Here’s the bottom line: Change is coming to your city whether you engage or not. The question is, will that change reflect what you and your neighbors actually want? Will it make your community more livable, equitable and sustainable?
You have the power to influence that answer by getting involved at the right time in shaping the Comprehensive Building Plans. If you show up with passion, constructive ideas and perseverance, you truly can steer your city toward the future you want to see.
It won’t be easy or quick. But the payoff is huge if you stick with it – you’ll help create a city that more closely matches your hopes and values. Your vision can become reality with enough engagement and advocacy.