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At your next planning board meeting, look around at your members. How much do you reflect the different populations in your community? Or are you, primarily or entirely, representative of only one or two segments?

Not too long ago, most citizen planning commissions were composed of white males drawn from the upper economic levels of the community. There are many more women now, and a sprinkling of minorities, but still, most commission members reflect the views of the "establishment" in their communities and can well afford to donate their time. To give them credit, planning board members are willing volunteers for positions that are not only time consuming, but also emotionally and physically draining.

The fact that many people simply do not wish to or cannot afford to leave work or other endeavors to be citizen members of planning boards probably will not change much in the near future. But that does not excuse them from trying hard to represent all the people in their community. In increasingly diverse communities, it is essential that all planning board members reach out beyond their ordinary circles of relationships. There are many ways you can do this.

Read the letters to the editor in your community newspaper and listen to the talk shows on local radio stations. The opinions expressed may be exasperating at times, but they also are likely to give you insights into the issues and opinions of a wide range of people you might not otherwise encounter.

Get out of City Hall or the County Courthouse. It may be convenient for the commission and staff to hold meetings at the seat of political power and probably close to your planning office, but they are often inconvenient locations for citizens. Go out into the neighborhoods occasionally. Hold your planning board meetings in schools or community centers. Make sure you invite neighborhood activists and others, and listen to what they have to say.

Make presentations to neighborhood groups, high school and community college classes, seniors, business and civic groups. Organize a speakers bureau and take turns talking with different segments of the community about general planning issues. They are more likely to be interested in specific matters if they understand the context in which decisions are made. Your planning staff can help here.

Before considering sensitive land use changes in an area, informally contact church leaders, social workers, school principals, local business owners and others to get a sense of the attitudes of community members and issues related to the matter that are likely to be controversial or important to them. Take these into consideration when you consider the specific issues.

If you find that the Planning Board would really benefit from broader representation, consider asking your governing body to authorize a subsidy such as payment of child care or a minimum stipend so that individuals outside the "establishment" may participate. (Note: this probably will not be possible in most communities, though a case can be made).

Always be open to new ideas. Each community is different and most are changing. Rarely are these social, ethnic and racial dynamics represented adequately on the planning board. Consider it a challenge and an opportunity to reach out to all members of your community and you will be well rewarded.