Plan and Policy Development Flashcards
(49 cards)
Purpose of Visioning
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.
Advantages of Visioning
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.
Disadvantages of Visioning
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).
Public Facilities Ordinance
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.
Agritourism technique
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.
Regional, or area-wide, planning agency
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.
Effective marketing technique to attract e-commerce firms
Technology-ready suburban office parks.
Dillon’s Rule
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).
Home Rule
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.
Example of overlapping federal, state, and local regulation of a land use.
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.
General purpose local government
County, city, township, etc.
Single-purpose district
School district, fire district, etc.
Special purpose district.
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.
Preemption
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.
Predictive policy analysis
Before the fact. Using past trends to predict what is happening in the future, and then gauge your success.
Descriptive Policy Analysis
After the fact, we implemented this policy - what happened? Much more measuring - how many jobs did I create? etc.
6 Steps in Basic Policy Analysis Process
- Verify, Define and Detail the problem (need to consider who is defining the problem)
- Establish Evaluation Criteria (key - what do you want to measure, and what do you have data available for)
- Identify alternative policies.
- Evaluate alternative policies.
- Display and distinguish among alternative policies.
- Monitor the implemented policy.
Planning Data Sources (examples)
US Census
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Non-Profits, research institutions, etc.
Cost Benefit Analysis
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.
Standing
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.
Externalities
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.
Elasticity.
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.
Marginal analysis
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.
Technical Feasibility
Policy analysis consideration of whether the proposal Will it work technically (overcomplicated). May not be way to measure or implement.
