Plan and Policy Development

Question 1

Purpose of Visioning

Answer 1

Build consensus. It can be used for many different processes, such as to kick off a comprehensive plan, or as a stand-alone process to focus on specific issues. Timeframe can be long or short, and can cover a range of topics. If distrust in community, you may need mediation before visioning starts.

Question 2

Advantages of Visioning

Answer 2

Serves as a catalyst, by bringing residents together in new ways and inspiring residents to get involved int the community.
Creates excitement about planning.
Keeps the process on track. Citizens can make sure that the rest of the process addresses the achievement oof the vision.
Keeps implementation moving forward. Citizens will be motivated to keep track of actions proposed to achieve the vision they helped create.

Question 3

Disadvantages of Visioning

Answer 3

Adds to the cost of the planning process. An intensive public participation effort.
Creates unrealistic expectations that the government can’t fulfill.
Dependent on facilitator (which is why many communities train a local planning or land use committee to facilitate visioning workshops).

Question 4

Public Facilities Ordinance

Answer 4

Allows the city to determine when infrastructure will be extended and maintain an adequate level of service. New building permits would not be issued unless the infrastructure is adequate. Could be used if a city has had a difficult time keeping up with the demand of infrastructure.

Question 5

Agritourism technique

Answer 5

Encourage farmers along a key accessible corridor to collaborate on adding complementary activities to create a day trip to attract families from the adjacent metro area. Joint marketing and planning is necessary.

Question 6

Regional, or area-wide, planning agency

Answer 6

Not a separate layer of government. Develops regional plans and reviews regional impacts and projects. Provides grants and planning assistance, and coordinates intergovernmental activities. In some cases, a local government may transfer some local government powers to a regional agency, but this is not usually the case.

Question 7

Effective marketing technique to attract e-commerce firms

Answer 7

Technology-ready suburban office parks.

Question 8

Dillon’s Rule

Answer 8

Principle that cities, towns, and counties have no powers other than those assigned to them by state governments. 40 our of 50 states follow Dillon’s Rule in some form (often mixture, for example different types of government or for different issues).

Question 9

Home Rule

Answer 9

Article or amendment to state constitution granting to cities, municipalities, and counties the ability to pass laws to govern themselves as they see fit. Cities have more autonomy to pass local laws.

Question 10

Example of overlapping federal, state, and local regulation of a land use.

Answer 10

Cell tower: Local government would regulation location and federal government (FCC) would regulate operations and other provisions. State agencies would also be involved in regulating cell towers in other ways.

Question 11

General purpose local government

Answer 11

County, city, township, etc.

Question 12

Single-purpose district

Answer 12

School district, fire district, etc.

Question 13

Special purpose district.

Answer 13

Independent unit of local government often created by referendum and organized to perform government functions in a specific geographic area. Power to incur debt and levy taxes.

Question 14

Preemption

Answer 14

When the law of a higher level of government limits or even eliminates the power of a lower level of government. Example: Federal Housing Act of 1968 preempted local discriminatory laws. State policies can also preempt local government rules. Example: WA State middle housing and ADU regulations.

Question 15

Predictive policy analysis

Answer 15

Before the fact. Using past trends to predict what is happening in the future, and then gauge your success.

Question 16

Descriptive Policy Analysis

Answer 16

After the fact, we implemented this policy - what happened? Much more measuring - how many jobs did I create? etc.

Question 17

6 Steps in Basic Policy Analysis Process

Answer 17

1. Verify, Define and Detail the problem (need to consider who is defining the problem)
2. Establish Evaluation Criteria (key - what do you want to measure, and what do you have data available for)
3. Identify alternative policies.
4. Evaluate alternative policies.
5. Display and distinguish among alternative policies.
6. Monitor the implemented policy.

Question 18

Planning Data Sources (examples)

Answer 18

US Census
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Non-Profits, research institutions, etc.

Question 19

Cost Benefit Analysis

Answer 19

Quantified comparison of costs and benefits generally expressed in monetary or numercal terms (e.,g., cost benefit ratio). Useful for measuring financial items. Trying to maximize benefits.

Question 20

Standing

Answer 20

Whose changes are you counting? For example, for policy aimed at increasing wealth in a region, be sure that you are considering whether this is being distributed to all members, or only the already affluent.

Question 21

Externalities

Answer 21

An externality is a cost or benefit that is caused by one party but financially incurred or received by another. These can be difficult to measure, but it is important to try and do this. For example, burning fossil fuels, it is difficult to measure the cost of pollution versus cost of GHG mitigation measures. If you can’t measure, acknowledge this.

Question 22

Elasticity.

Answer 22

What happens to demand when cost rises. Gasoline = inelastic good: as prices goes up, demand generally stays the same. Food = elastic good, as prices go up, demand stays same or reduces.

Question 23

Marginal analysis

Answer 23

Cost or benefit of the last piece provided - sometimes seen as in “equilibrium” when marginal cost is same as marginal benefit. Schools - marginal cost tends to be low, unless one student causes you to build new school.

Question 24

Technical Feasibility

Answer 24

Policy analysis consideration of whether the proposal Will it work technically (overcomplicated). May not be way to measure or implement.

Question 25

Economic and Financial Feasibility

Answer 25

Policy analysis consideration of whether or not you have financial resources to support your program. For example, some grant funds are limited to certain programs.

Question 26

Political and Administrative Operability

Answer 26

Policy analysis consideration of whether the proposal has long-standing appeal, despite potential changes in political or administrative leadership in the city.

Question 27

Fiscal Impact v. Economic Impact

Answer 27

Economic may look at community impact, while fiscal impact is concerned with financial impact to city as an organization. You can have a positive economic impact, but adverse fiscal impact.

Question 28

What is the following a example of? “Salt Lake City’s neighborhoods are diverse, exciting, safe, well maintained, and supportive of families and young people”

Answer 28

Vision statement. It is an expression of potential.

Question 29

What is the following a example of? “make housing affordable and accessible”

Answer 29

Principle, it provides strategic direction for efforts to realize the vision statement.

Question 30

What is the following a example of? In 2040, Minneapolis will see all communities fully thrive regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, country of origin, religion or zip code, having eliminated deep-rooted disparities in wealth and opporunity.

Answer 30

Goals, defining a long-term outcomes that will result from successful implementation. Can build programs and policies on.

Question 31

Scenario planning: different approaches to evaluating and selecting a preferred scenario.

Answer 31

Normative - What should be.
Predictive - What will be.
Exploratory - What can be (may occur as a result of external forces and strategic responses).
Comprehensive planning can involve all 3 types.

Question 32

Strategic Scenario Planning

Answer 32

Combine elements of exploratory and normative scenario planning. Purpose - strategically adapt to change to support community goals. Have an outcome in mind with preferred scenario, but need to evaluate barriers and think about different policy interventions to reduce or minimize those barriers.

Question 33

Scenario Planning

Answer 33

Methodology for engaging community in constructing future scenarios and selecting a preferred scenario to guide development of policies and actions. Engages community members in exploring different choices for future. Comes in many forms.

Question 34

Growth Scenario Planning

Answer 34

Combination of normative and predictive types. Starts with baseline that projects growth trends spatially. Alternative scenarios are constructed to show options on how community can develop.

Question 35

Conceptual Growth Plan

Answer 35

Type of land use map-based planning approach. Establish a spatial framework to guide future development. Good for communities with a lot of undeveloped land, experiencing growth pressures. Able to achieve more sustainable outcomes than current trendlines.

Question 36

Place-based Approach

Answer 36

Type of land use map-based planning approach. Defines desired development based on characteristics such as form, character, and scale. Delineates areas for the implementation of different types of character.

Question 37

Strategy Based Approach

Answer 37

Type of land use map-based planning approach. Suited for more mature communities that may/may not be experiencing growth pressures. Delineates areas for different types of strategies.

Question 38

Mayor Council form of government

Answer 38

Directly elected mayor is chief executive officer. City council is legislature. Executive branch and staff report to mayor. Popular in cities more than 100 years ago. Benefits: can expedite decision-making, because there is political will to pursue initiatives.

Question 39

Council-Manager form of government

Answer 39

Council appoints city manager to function as chief executive officer. City council is legislature. Staff report to City Manager. Started to become popular about 100 years ago. Benefits: Removes daily operations from politics.

Question 40

Town meeting form of government

Answer 40

Common in NE. Different types: Open town meeting, representative town meeting. Often best for preserving status quo.

Question 41

Multi-Variate Analysis

Answer 41

Might have output affected by many inputs (relationship between different factors all impact your output).

Question 42

Mediation

Answer 42

Form of conflict resolution. Involves a 3rd party, but is non-binding. Can complement public engagement methods like design charettes. Sometimes, 3rd party decides that parties are not ready to come to agreement. Most appropriate when maintaining long-term relationships is important, emotions are high, issues are coplete and novel solutions are useful. Works well with nonconforming uses, small infill, or CUPs.

Question 43

Negotiation

Answer 43

Form of conflict resolution. Discussion to reach an agreement. More structured than mediation, in that it typically results in memorandum of agreement (which is generally not legally binding). Unlike mediation, only involves parties (not a 3rd party mediator).

Question 44

Facilitation

Answer 44

Focused on a certain task. Not conflict resolution.

Question 45

Arbitration

Answer 45

Formal process. Legally binding. Challenges - getting people to agree that decision is final.

Question 46

Role of state in planning.

Answer 46

Limited planning work, although they have a lot of influence, particularly by providing funding for cities (more funding flows from state to cities, than from feds to cities), and directing where these investments are made.

Question 47

Policy impact analysis - difference between assessment and evaluation

Answer 47

Assessment - analyses the intended and unintended consequences of policies, plans and programs.
Evaluation - examines a plan, project or program against a set of criteria, usually to establish organizational accountability.

Question 48

EIS Scoping

Answer 48

Takes place in early stages of preparing an EIS. Helps to explain the project and is used to identify the potential impacts (+ and -) that should be evaluated.

Question 49

EIS Contents

Answer 49

1. Probable impact of proposed action
2. Adverse environmental effects that cannot be avoided
3. Alternatives to the proposed action
4. Relationship between local short-term uses of environment and maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity of land
5. Any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources that would be involved in proposed action.