Breakfast of Champions

This morning I had a great experience. I enjoy the musings of author James Howard Kunstler. He writes books about urbanism, energy policy and society in general. He is not a planner by trade, he studied journalism. Jim has written 10 books, some fiction, most non. Lately, he has written fiction based upon the notion that our oil reserves are finite and that soon we will come to a point where oil will run out, and that will have far reaching impacts.

Jim is currently on a book tour for his latest book, the Which of Hebron, which is one of his fictional books to promote the book. I was in Portsmouth this weekend and saw that he will be at River Run books tonight (Sept 30). I decided Sunday that it would be a good idea to email Jim and see if he had time for lunch.

Sure enough he wrote back Monday. We were able to work out a breakfast this morning in Exeter. What follows is recollection of breakfast.

Breakfast
I met Jim at 8 am. We had emailed back and forth earlier in the week, and I told him I'd call him when I got to Exeter. Not caring where we ate, I had no issue eating at the hotel restaurant.

Jim is a great guy. His writing can be cantankerous and seem jaded, but I didn't take that away from him at all. I honestly had no expectation. I don't see him as anything more than someone who chronicles his observations in book, blog and podcast form. Breakfast was just that. We ate, shot the breeze and joked for 2 hours.

I found Jim to be very real and very laid back. He is, in my mind, a celeb. That said he has the same quirks, and problems we all have in life. We commiserated about traveling to and in New Orleans, where he had just came back from. We discussed a recent podcast he did in which he discussed traveling to Acadia National Park from upstate NY. He had some great line about the disposable architecture you find on Route 1 from Hampton NH to Acadia. In fact, I pointed out that the whole drive has such poor built form not just along this stretch but along almost all of Route 1.

Kunstler grew up in NYC and I told him my son and I are heading there next Friday - by train - and he gave me some pointers and then laughed at the trip we have planned (about 10 hours of train and bus travel packed into a 24 hour period). We talked baseball, which was great.

I never felt like I should be impressed to be with him - though I was - nor did I ever feel that he was "on" for me. There was no character, he was a guy with opinions and unlike many people he isn't afraid to share them, and even better he didn't feel that his opinions outranked mine. For instance we talked about Portsmouth, and I gave him some local observations and he gave me the tourist POV. It was fun to hear, and at the end of the day, I think he took my comments as worthwhile.

As I said, I got to spend 2 hours with him. I figured at best I'd get half and hour of coffee. At no point did I get rushed. There was an equal feeling of respect of time and in the end I think the fact we both had to get to work was the limiting factor. For someone who has a great bite to his writing, he was incredibly polite and was not phased by any question. All he wanted in response was equal ability to ask questions (we talked about being a city planner - dealing with the public - and about the process of setting personal preference aside for legal rights). He was also interested to hear about Dover's Form Based Code. I say interested, because I don't think he ever humored me.

Have I found a new best friend? No, but I would gladly spend more time, email, breakfast or otherwise with Jim. He has some great ideas (we are running out of oil, and we do need to learn to live without so much dependence on automobiles), and is a terrific writer (read The Geography of Nowhere).

Regrets
Did I miss an opportunity? Not sure on this one. I thought about giving him a first hand take on owning a Pit Bull, which he derided in a podcast once. In the end it didn't matter to me if he was won over or not. Writing that I guess I don't have any regrets. You always think about what ifs. What if I had been able to get him to Dover? What if I had asked him for writing advice? What if I asked him if he wanted to crash at my house, instead of a hotel tonight (I can only imagine my wife's take on that one - hey Sweety guess what!). No, I think I did all right.

Conclusion
When I got back to Dover, I sent a thank you email. I think in honesty the response I got back was a sincere you're welcome and a just as sincere, thanks for my time.

This was a great way to start a day. Bill Bryson, who wrote a wonderful book about walking the Appalachian Trail, is speaking in 2 weeks at River Run. Maybe I'll email him. What's the worse that happens?

Plan, Plan, Plan

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Master Plan process. The MP, lest you forgot, is a guiding document for a communities growth and development. This week I was thinking about strategic plans. In this regard I am not looking to the community but to the make up and direction the department I oversee.

I am a systems thinker. I like to know how things evolve and operate. I wonder why processes are in place and who developed them. Who thought it was a good idea to do this or that. Some elements are out of my control. State RSA or local Ordinance dictate certain things, and that is all well and good. My thoughts are more closely tied to operational and practical areas.

In that regard I am going to take the task of developing a strategic plan for the department. This involves many of the same elements of a Master Plan, but on a more local level. Instead of looking from a high level at the City, I want to know where the City Manager views the department in the grand scheme of things, I want to know how the Planning Board views us, how the staff views the department and how the regular citizen views, or more likely does not view us.

Part of this will be a plan for improved communications and outreach as well as reviewing all document development and flow through. One tool will be this blog, and I hope to look for questions and answers out there in the wide world.

Part of this will flow from the presentation of the upcoming Capital Improvements Program. I want to redirect how we interpret, present and work through the CIP. THE CIp is am important part of our planning and I want to make it more citizen focused and interpretive. We'll see how that goes.

Planning Books

Ever wonder what books planners read? Me neither. On the off chance that you are, just as I listed some podcasts a few months ago, I have put together a list of books I am fond of. Some are new and some are very old. Feel free to locate them online and at your local library. Best of all, please feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions.

Other than the first book, none are in order or prioritized:

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction
by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein (1976)

This book is a great example of keeping ideas simple, understandable and yet still very intelligent and thought provoking. This book, which is broken into sections offering ideas about home, neighborhood, community and regional development, breaks these sections into core ideas. It then takes those ideas and builds upon them. It was created by a group at the University of Oregon and examines the ways age old communities have continued to thrive.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs (1961)

This well known book looks at returning people to the City and speaks to what elements make cities safe, how they function, and why all too many official attempts at saving them have failed.

The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
by Lewis Mumford (1972)

Lewis Mumford was an urban historian who produced revelatory work looking at the historical forms and functions of the city throughout the ages. It can read like a text book, but that shouldn't be held against it.

The Practice of Local Government Planning (Municipal Management Series)
by Charles Hoch (2000)

This reference text is now called simply "The Green Book", and has become the benchmark for planning in the United States. It offers exactly what it says, a primer on public sector planning.

Civilizing American Cities: Writings on City Landscapes
by Frederick Law Olmsted (1997)

Frederick Law Olmsted was the co-designer of Central Park in NYC (his firm also did work in Dover) and in many ways he was my inspiration for becoming a planner. He wrote many books, and Civilizing American Cities is collection of his plans for New York, San Francisco, Buffalo, Montreal, Chicago, and Boston; his suburban plans for Berkeley, California and Riverside, Illinois; and a generous helping of his writings on urban landscape in general.

The Image of the City (1960)
Site Planning (1962)
Good City Form (1981)

by Kevin Lynch

Kevin Lynch is, in my mind, the Dean of site plan review, he has multiple books I could recommend. All of them look at the meaning of a city's form, how its form impact people and what can the city planner do to make the city's image more vivid and memorable to the city dweller. These books look at connections between human values and the physical forms. One thing I like best is that he constantly speaks to the city as an organism that should be reviewed holistically.

Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design in the Twentieth Century
by Peter Geoffrey Hall (1996 Updated Edition)

I had to read this book for Grad School. It acts as an overview of many of the ideas, events, and personalities that have shaped world urbanization since 1900.

The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape
by James Howard Kunstler (1995)

A true classic. Kunstler, whose podcast I have mentioned before, is an urbanist who relishes in examining the point where the development of the Country moved from Main Streets to strip malls. From a nation with places, to a nation where sprawl detracts from coherency and character.

Design With Nature
by Ian L. McHarg (1995)

This highly influential book was one of the first to introduce ideas that later became common place through geographic information systems. It points out the value in overlaying ecology atop plans and reviewing the environmental impapcts.

Great Streets
by Allan B. Jacobs (1995)

This is a fun book that looks at street layout and how we have changed the physical, designable characteristics of them over time. What I enjoy is that it has over 200 illustrations in place to compare and contrast roman, medieval and modern street design.

A Better Way to Zone: Ten Principles to Create More Livable Cities
By Donald L. Elliott (2009)

I attended a seminar by Elliott and was intrigued by his idea that by moving away from traditional, “Euclidean” zoning practices, planners have the opportunity to lighten up and be more flexible with what goes where. He discusses ways to be traditional and innovative in how we zone land and the pitfalls of not involving the public.

Last Harvest: How a Cornfield Became New Daleville
by Witold Rybczynski (2008)

Rybczynski is a very interesting writer. He takes great care in crafting his urban studies and in the Last Harvest, he looks at an attempt to create a neotraditional housing subdivision in exurban Pennsylvania. What is most impressive is that he documents the entire development process and all the bumps and bruises experienced along the way. Interestingly, it is clear this was written within a year of being published and you can see the downfall of the housing market as the book progresses.

Planning and Urban Design Standards
American Planning Association (2007)

Not for the faint at heart, this book is second only to the green book as a valuable reference tome. There are untold number of illustrated examples and in-depth information to aid in the creation of planning documents, reports and findings. It has model codes as well as thoughtful discussion.

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck (March, 2000)

The main idea behind this book is a return to traditional, urban development, through progressive town planning. The authors, who are the founders of the Congress for New Urbanism, describe what they feel are the ills of urban sprawl, while advocating neotraditional development patterns.

Planning the Built Environment
By Larz T. Anderson (2000)

I love this book. It is a tremendous asset when trying to translate planning concepts and engineering realities. I used it to get through grad school. It covers many topics and areas in the planning and implementation of the built environment, including land, utilities, transportation, and Residential Areas. One excellent feature is that after each chapter there is a list of recommended reading and
sources of additional information.

Ok, still with me? I know that's a lot of books, so get cracking and I'll recommend more in 6 months.

Master Plans

The City of Dover, as with most communities in New Hampshire, is required under state law, to routinely develop and evaluate a comprehensive or master plan for itself.

A Master Plan is a set of statements about land use and development principles for the municipality with accompanying maps, diagrams, charts and descriptions to give
legal standing to the implementation of ordinance and other measures of the
Planning Board.

The plan should lay out a physical plan which takes into account social and economic
values describing how, why, when and where the community should build, rebuild and preserve.

With this blog entry I hope to go over the various chapters and the process involved with reviewing and implementing the Master Plan. You can review Dover's Master Plan online.

Process
There are eight smaller steps that make up four major components of Master Plan development The first segment in preparing a plan is to determine the vision for the Community. We have accomplished this in the past through telephone and hand surveys, speak out sessions and focus groups.

The second component is to outline and evaluate different outcomes, whether they be land uses or infrastructure options. From there, you select a preferred alternative, and recommend that alternative within the MP.

The third component is the implementation of the plan. This can be changing regulations and guides, or performing infrastructure (capital) improvements.

The fourth step is the monitoring step. You need to evaluate the implementation and how it has impacted a community. This component flows back into the community visioning component as you move through the cycle.

The Chapters:

Land Use Analysis – 2007

The place we know as the City of Dover will become a different place in the course of our lifetimes. In some small way, it may even be different tomorrow. By evaluating the past and making recommendations toward the future, we can ensure that the community develops and grows in a managed and meaningful way. This plan is a statement of what the Dover community hopes to be, and how it might get there.

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Recreation – 2009

Recreation is an integral component of a healthy, sustainable community and should receive commensurate investment. In Dover, it is believed that Recreation issues are complex and require high attention, wise decisions, sensible implementation, and collaboration among different city departments. The goals established in this document here are similar to those in the past (2000). The mission of Recreation in Dover may not change much with each Master Plan update, but the ways in which Dover accomplishes those goals may.

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Natural and Historical Resources - 2000

Dover’s natural resources are a critical consideration in establishing a proper approach for land management. Understanding natural resource values provides a rational basis for determining which areas of the City are more appropriate for protection and open space and which areas are more suitable for development. Natural resources such as slope, soils, and vegetation, wildlife, and water resources add to Dover’s character, provide recreational opportunities and contribute to the quality of life for Dover residents. These natural resources also provide both opportunities and constraints for growth. Steep slopes and wetlands, for example, are less suitable for development, while better drained, flatter areas are more suitable. On the other hand, these well-drained areas may be associated with groundwater areas that require protection. Thus, the natural resource base of Dover provides an important factor as the basis for local land use decisions. The following is a description and analysis of Dover’s natural resource base.

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Community Facilities and Utilities - 2009

The City of Dover and its employees are recognized as providing a high level of effective services. The Dover government is a large, complex organization delivering a wide and diverse range of services to the residents and businesses of the City. City business is conducted by the City Council managing about half of the budget and the School Board managing the rest with only bottom line funding approval by the Council. By definition it is a bureaucracy and, like most other bureaucracies, our City government and its activities has evolved over time to meet the new demands placed on it by growth. Sometimes that growth has been slow and steady and sometimes it has been very rapid such as we are currently facing as we enter the new millennium. In either case, attention has sometimes been focused on meeting the new needs rather than finding ways to deliver existing services in the most efficient way. The City and School budgets have been developed separately without first setting limits for combined growth and identifying areas of mutual need and possible joint efforts to hold costs down. This has resulted in adding new people, facilities, equipment, and activities at ever-increasing costs. Efforts at last minute budget cutting to hold cost down have sometimes been misdirected to things such as deferring necessary maintenance or new programs, which eventually resulted in higher costs. Dover needs to change that approach to managing its business.

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Open Space - 2000

Dover has a long history of placing a priority on environmental protection and management. Open Space and Recreation Plans were developed in 1973, 1978, 1988 and the 1988 City-wide Master Plan contained a detailed chapter on the open space and recreation needs of Dover. This chapter serves as an update to the 1988 Master Plan and integrates the information and recommendations contained in previous plans with the most recent needs that have been identified in Dover.

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Transportation - 2000

This chapter of the City of Dover Master Plan is intended to set policies and goals while providing a comprehensive vision for transportation. Dover will invest in, maintain and properly manage or regulate a coordinated, safe, efficient, and effective transportation system that promotes the long-term goals of its citizens and businesses expressed in this Master Plan. The City acknowledges this system to consist of public and private infrastructure such as roads, bridges, sidewalks, parking facilities, trails and transit centers as well as services such as transit, taxis, and traveler information resources. This system will enhance the quality of life for residents and the quality of experience for visitors and tourists while preserving the character and strategic advantages of the City for current and future generations.

Conclusion

Phew. As you can read, there is a lot involved with the Master Plan. We are constantly reviewing this living and dynamic document as we make budget and policy decisions. My hope is that you will see us update the Open Space and Natural Resources chapter over the coming months. If you are interested in assisting, please let me know.

Communications

One of the hallmarks for the success of planning in Dover has to be our efforts to encourage participatory planning. The department works because we strive to understand the needs of the community and how we as a community want to develop.

We have tried various methods to engage the public and found some to be successful (our google maps for each planning and zoning application) and some unsuccessful (monthly planning discussion sessions). I like the idea of thinking out of the box and trying to encourage as many people to be involved with planning as possible.

I understand that planning is not about popularity contests, and polls, but rules and regulations, and that the flip side is that our rules and regulations should be community derived and proactive, generally, as opposed to reactive.

Blog
This Blog is one of the methods I have found to engage the public. I see, by the side counter, that we have 8 followers. This sounds low, but it amazes me to meet people that say they read the blog through RSS feed readers or other forms of aggregation. I like the free form though process that can be used here and the ability to get information out in a longer format.

Twitter
Speaking of length of posts, I really enjoy twitter as a communication format. As far as social media goes, I'd say it is the best non-personal tool out there. Our feed twitter.com/DoverNHPlanning has a healthy following, and I enjoy the challenge of consolidating a thought into 140 characters.

This tool has been great for sending out links to agendas and meetings. I have also found that people ask questions via tweeting, and then I can respond to every follower (almost 100) with the answer. Seems to me, if one person has the question, so do others.

Facebook
I have a love hate with Facebook. I see the benefit, but find it annoying. I created a FB page for the Planning Department, but find that it is not as intuitive a tool for non-personal information. It really works better for sharing info with friends.

That said, I tend to repeat tweets on Facebook, albeit with a bit more information and characters. The Community Trail and Friends of Willand Pond are also on Facebook and that is good to see efforts like that.

Google Maps
I really like this option. Google Maps are so intuitive and multi-functional. We use the maps to plot the location of project applications for Planning, Zoning and now Conservation commission applications. In the past we have also used the function to document the growth of the Community Trail and the Pay N Display parking meeter locations.

I find that these maps are well used and informative in a positive way.

DoverDownload
The newest adventure we have undertaken is that weekly I am interviewed by the Media Services Coordinator for the City, and give a blurb, or two, about the Planning world for the video DoverDownload. This feature runs on Channel 22 and is also available online for viewing. This tool is good, because it allows for a more personal touch than a straight press release, but also isn't as wordy as a blog (ha ha).

The rest...
While I don't see the need, anymore, for the monthly Planning Discussions, I do hope to have them maybe on an as needed basis or quarterly. I am not sure if no one knew about them, people didn't want to come at 7:30 am or maybe I need to switch colognes.

Email is still the most used way to interact with the public and I am constantly trying to keep up with it. I can be reached at c.parker@dover.nh.gov, and am happy to reply to questions, or assist with understanding plans or projects. I have a in-department policy with email and phone calls. Both must be returned within 24 hours. Even if the response is that you are looking into something, staff need to respond.

Press releases are also a good tool. They are definitely more traditional, but that isn't a bad thing. I think we have done a good job of noting successes and passing information along this way, and will continue to do so.

Overall I see interacting with the public as a trial and effort situation. We will continue to reach out and try to reach people via any means we can. I am open to ideas and welcome the challenge of trying new tools (tumblr anyone?).

Let me know if you have a suggestion, maybe I'll interact with it.

Capital Improvements

Last week I took some time off and went camping. Truth be told it was a cabin in the woods, no electricity or indoor plumbing, but a hard roof, so if it rained it wasn't that big a deal. I was in the "wilds" of Maine with just my dog. No cell phone coverage (yeah), no one to interact with. So what did I do? I read. 5 days = 5 books.

One of those 5 was On The Grid, by Scott Huler. Mr. Huler lives in North Carolina, and after experiencing some household issues, wonders about the infrastructure that surrounds him. He is curious about where the water that comes out of his faucet originate.

Basically the book is public works for a laymen. It describes water, sanitary and storm water sewer systems survey work, road building and other aspects of the built world that most people take for granted. At just over 200 pages, it is a quick read and is very informative and enjoyable.

This book was perfect for me to read last week, because at work, I am in the early to middle stages of putting together the City's Capital Improvements Program (CIP). This program is a fundamental step in reviewing the City's infrastructure needs as well as effectuating the City's Master Plan - specifically the Community Facilities and Utilities section.

The process for the CIP involves reviewing projects currently in the plan/program, looking at capacity for new projects, looking at funding availability and the relationship those programs have to the Master Plan. Infrastructure is an interesting concept. We know it is the structure below the surface, and we know that we use it everyday. As Mr. Huler describes in his book, we all turn on the water faucet and we all walk the sidewalks or ride a bike or drive on streets everyday, but no one knows how they appear.

One interesting idea from the book that relates to the CIP is the idea that cities don't actually build roads, they rebuild them. If you think about it, very few roads in Dover were "built" by the City of Dover - Venture Drive is one I can think of. The majority were built by private landowners who wished to make their land available to others, and needed to create a way to access that land. In many cases the road is then "turned over" to the City and becomes a public road. The City then repairs and maintains the roadway. This is the largest component of the CIP, road reconstruction; Dover has over 130 miles of roadway to maintain.

Other areas we see in the CIP are related to utilities, culture and recreation, public safety, education and transportation elements. These areas are important and round out the capital needs the community has.

Beginning in October, the Planning Board and City Council will discuss the CIP. Departments will make presentation and explain their needs, and I hope to develop a easy to follow guide for residents to follow along with and be part of the process. Watch this blog, our twitter, face book and the City's web site for more information, times and dates for meetings. You need to be involved with this important, if overlooked area of government.