"People make cities, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans."
Jane Jacobs
What is Planning?
Definition of Planning from the American Planning Association
The goal of planning is to maximize the health, safety, and economic well-being of all people living in our communities. This involves thinking about how we can move around our community, how we can attract and retain thriving businesses, where we want to live, and opportunities for recreation. Planning helps create communities of lasting value.
While architects often focus on a single building, a planner's job is to work with residents and elected officials to guide the layout of an entire community or region. Planners take a broad view and look at how the pieces of a community — buildings, roads, and parks — fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Planners then make recommendations on how the community should proceed. One of the greatest challenges for planners is to imagine what can and should happen to a community: how it should grow and change, and what it should offer residents 10, 15, or even 20 years into the future.
What Is A Neighborhood Plan
A neighborhood plan is a document that includes a set of recommendations on how to improve and enhance a neighborhood. The goals and vision are compiled and collected from relevant stakeholders in the area. The recommendations included in the final neighborhood plan will include steps and resources that will help with the overall development of the neighborhood and the city of Waterloo as a tool for implementation by those in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.