Comprehensive Planning: What, Why and Potential Challenges By Jane Silberstein, UW-Extension, Community, Natural Resources and Economic Development Educator Forward-looking communities, businesses and people plan for what they want and/or need. It is basic. It has been said, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." It is hard to argue with this concept. When a community becomes engaged with planning for its future, people of course want to know what a comp plan is, why it is needed and what are some challenges to expect. A comprehensive is, simply put, an official statement of local government policy regarding the physical development of a community. Most municipal plans cover all dimensions of community: transportation, housing, economic development, natural resources, utilities and community facilities, and so on. The plan sets forth a vision for the future of the community. The power of this vision and probability of its fulfillment depend, in large part, on the extent to which the community participates in its creation. Those who participate will usually embrace the vision. It is such emotional investment that usually assures the realization of any vision. And why develop a plan? There are many reasons. One compelling reason is that broad-based citizen participation helps build community as people work through their differences together and arrive at a common vision. A comprehensive planning process can thus forge community and, when done well, will become an ongoing process responding to change, which we all know is constant. Further, a comprehensive plan can help citizens' understanding of the past, provide a road-map for the future, promote economic development as well as intergovernmental cooperation. While many understand the fundamental reasons for planning, others may fear its implications related to government control. This typically happens when people feel separate from government or underrepresented and/or do not embrace the notion that government regulations are for the "common good." Enter property rights issues. One tool for implementing a comp plan is zoning. Zoning does indeed mandate development standards, for example. However, these regulations are tied directly back to the overall plan for a municipality and are intended to do such things as protect views, infrastructure, transportation systems and access, all of which are important to the value of an individually-owned property. Thus, we can say that comp planning actually works to preserve property value. One other challenge may be inadequate citizen participation in the process. Without a good cross-section of the community as well as a significant number of citizens involved in the process, the plan is less likely to be implemented, since the citizen investment has not been made. It is wise indeed to make sure a community understands the what and why of planning prior to, or near the beginning of, such a process. With this in place, the positive outcomes will likely be many. And, the value of a completed plan to community well being, hope for the future and to an enhanced understanding of the interrelationship and interdependence of all dimensions of community is worth noting, especially as we in this country continue to build a democratic society. These articles are retained on the web for historical interest and do not necessarily reflect the views or goals of DPPA today.

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