The full text of the following articles is available for viewing. Excerpts from more than 275 other articles can also be accessed on the PlannersWeb (you can then download many of these articles as pdf files for a small fee). Most of the following articles can also be downloaded as pdf files, formatted as published in the Planning Commissioners Journal.
Basics of Variances, by Robert Widner, Esq.
--- Attorney Robert Widner offers a planning law primer on the use of zoning variances.
Building on Common Ground, by Joseph R. Molinaro
--- Planners and developers need to work together on issues that really matter, argues Joseph Molinaro of the National Association of Homebuilders.
Challenges & Opportunities, by Bruce W. McClendon
--- Five key trends planning officials should be aware of in preparing for change, from the author of -- Mastering Change and -- Customer Service in Local Government.
Citizen Planning Academies, by Michael Chandler
--- One of the major challenges facing most communities, and their planning boards, is how to explain planning and the planning process in terms citizens can understand. A look at how citizen planning academies helped in two Virginia counties.
Creating Vital Communities: Planning for Our Aging Society, by Deborah Howe
--- Planning for an aging society means planning for people -- and providing a built environment that is adaptable enough to meet the changing needs of people as they age.
Dealing With the Press, by Dan Hamilton
--- Journalist and publications specialist Dan Hamilton offers his insights on the most effective techniques planning boards can use when dealing with the press.
Developing Community Leadership, by Carole Bloom
--- The role that leadership training can play in developing community leaders.
Developing the Comprehensive Plan: Part I, by Michael Chandler
--- The first in a three-part series on the basics of putting together a comprehensive plan.
Education and Economic Development, by Jack McCall
--- Why investing in local education pays dividends in economic development.
Enhancing Your Commission's Productivity, by Michael Chandler
--- How you can improve your commission's "productive capacity" through new member orientation, mission statements, and work programs.
Finding Community Leaders, by Eileen Hennessy
--- Leadership is a key ingredient to strong communities, and can come from expected places and people.
Getting Out to Where the People Are, by Elaine Cogan
--- Elaine Cogan looks at how a shopping mall became the location for a creative planning event.
Getting Power by Giving It Away, by Otis White
--- How a planning commission can strengthen its leadership role by empowering citizens to find solutions to difficult issues.
Getting the Job Done, by Michael Chandler
--- Strategies planning boards can employ -- before the meeting; during the meeting; and after the meeting -- to help ensure that commissioners get the job done.
The Ghost Commissioner, by Greg Dale
--- The dilemma facing planning commissions when they have a frequently absent or unprepared commissioner.
Green Enhances Growth, by Edward T. McMahon
--- People care about trees, and not just because they're pleasant to look at look and provide cooling shade. Trees also increase property values and can help boost a community's economic development, as McMahon points out in this article.
"Growing" Volunteers, by Eileen Hennessy
--- Do volunteers assist your planning commission with any of its work? How you can best utilize the talents of people in your community.
¿Habla Usted Español?, by Elaine Cogan
--- 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.
Homogeneous Commissions in Heterogeneous Communities, by Elaine Cogan
--- 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.
How the Information Revolution Is Shaping Our Communities, by Pamela Blais
--- An introduction to the impacts information technologies are having on jobs, the economy, and the demand for office and commercial space.
How to Mess Up a Town, by James Howard Kunstler
--- The degradation of Saratoga Springs, New York -- and what it says about design in our society.
Is Your Community Being Invaded by NIMBYs?, by Elaine Cogan
--- How to deal with NIMBYs when they show up at your meetings.
No Strings Attached?, by Greg Dale
--- Has anyone ever offered you a gift or favor because you're a planning commissioner?
Open Space Zoning: What It Is & Why It Works, by Randall Arendt
--- One of the nation's leading advocates of "open space" zoning describes its advantages over conventional zoning regulation in preserving open space, natural areas, and farmland.
Planning from Different Perspectives, by Carolyn L. Braun
--- Why it's helpful to understand the different perspectives that friends, applicants, and staff "bring to the table."
Primer on the Politics of Plan Implementation, by Bernie Jones
--- How to win support for a local plan, and tips on getting the plan's recommendations implemented, from the author of -- Neighborhood Planning: A Guide for Citizens & Planners, and member of the Denver, Colorado, Planning Board.
The Residential Street -- Part I, by Greg Dale & Jennifer Sharn
--- In the first of a three-part series on residential streets, Greg Dale and Jennifer Sharn discuss the origins of today's typical residential street standards, and look at why some planners have begun to question them.
Should You Run?, by Otis White
--- Have you considered running for office after finishing your service as a planning commissioner or zoning board member? Otis White, consultant to local governments and corporations on community involvement and civic leadership, explores what questions to ask yourself before you decide to run.
Smart Growth, by Greg Dale
--- Greg Dale takes a look at two words that have been sweeping the nation: "smart growth."
Sprawl Is Like the Weather, by Brent Thompson
--- Sprawl and low density development are closely related, argues Brent Thompson, a planning commissioner from Ashland, Oregon.
Taming the Automobile: How We Can Make Our Streets More Pedestrian Friendly, by Richard Untermann
--- Strategies for meeting pedestrians' needs, from the author of -- Accomodating the Pedestrian: Adapting Towns & Neighborhoods for Walking and Bicycling.
Town Councils and Planning Boards: A Challenging Relationship, by Pamela Plumb
--- Former Portland, Maine, mayor and councilor Pamela Plumb explains how town councils and planning boards can develop a positive relationship.
What's So Bad About Zoning, by Edward McMahon
--- Ed McMahon provides a reality check on four myths about zoning and land use regulation: 1. Zoning is un-American, 2. Sparsely populated rural areas don't need to control uses of land, 3. Land use controls will increase taxes and reduce property values, and 4. Planning is a bad idea.
When They Speak, Do You Listen?, by Elaine Cogan
--- Do you listen to what members of the public say at your planning commission meetings? Do people know that you're listening? Why this may be the most important part of your job as a commissioner.
Who Shall Serve? Special Interests vs. Public Interest, by Greg Dale
--- Is it appropriate for citizens who have represented "special interest" groups to serve on local planning boards? Greg Dale considers the ethical dimensions of this question.
Working Effectively With Elected Officials, by Elaine Cogan
--- Steps planning commissioners can take to see that elected officials understand the commission's aims and policies -- and avoid having commission decisions overturned.
Working With Planning Consultants -- Part I, by C. Gregory Dale
--- Planning consultant Greg Dale outlines ten key elements to successfully getting started on a project that will involve consultants -- in part I of a three-part series.