Two newspaper stories about completely opposite urban planning approaches appeared in newspapers over the weekend. I’ve compiled a quick summary of the stories below to illustrate how different communities feel about planning.
On the side of strict planning and preservation was a story about Charleston, South Carolina’s new Preservation Plan that commits this city to preserving its heritage while also addressing growth. The lengthy process involved the community in crafting the plan, and proposed 600 policy recommendations. Charleston was the first city in the united states to enact a historic district back in 1931, and the first to pass a Historic Preservation Plan in 1974. This spirit of preservation planning has served to cement the southern charm of the city and has made it a tourism destination.
On the other side of this issue is a commentary in the Houston Chronicle titled, “Don’t Hobble Houston with Land Planning.” The author states that the lack of planning in the city has made it one of the most affordable cities in America and that stricter land planning would increase taxes and traffic congestion, and suppress urban growth and job creation.
These are obviously two extremes. Where does your community fit in the mix? Do you feel that planning harms your quality of life?
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Here is a good article about how the Town of Oakville, Ontario is moving towards a new urbanism way of planning instead of having the real estate developers lead the development practices.
There’s ongoing feedback from the Houston opinion piece that ‘s worthy of reading: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5476788.html