A popular and practical guide on how to be an effective planning commissioner. Filled with checklists and outlines, it's both a good introduction and a handy reference. Includes a training checklist for new commissioners, criteria for keeping a master plan in working order, lists of tools to guide growth, advice on how to deal with professional staff, and dos and don'ts for conducting successful public meetings. This edition sharpens the focus on how commissioners and their staffs can operate under four core principles for planning commissioners: citizen involvement, smaller is better, living in a market-driven system, and orderly growth.

A popular and practical guide on how to be an effective planning commissioner. Filled with checklists and outlines, it's both a good introduction and a handy reference. Includes a training checklist for new commissioners, criteria for keeping a master plan in working order, lists of tools to guide growth, advice on how to deal with professional staff, and dos and don'ts for conducting successful public meetings. This edition sharpens the focus on how commissioners and their staffs can operate under four core principles for planning commissioners: citizen involvement, smaller is better, living in a market-driven system, and orderly growth.

This practical handbook demystifies development review. It explains the tools of local regulation and the technical, bureaucratic, and organizational skills planners need to be effective. Solnit shows how to work with developers, evaluate projects, and use fiscal impact analysis. Includes a section on planning ethics, checklists, and tips on negotiating. Chapters by contributing authors cover subdivision plats, site plans, appearance codes, and writing zoning reports. The Job of the Practicing Planner is a perfect introductory textbook in classes for planners and a practical handbook for people already on the job.