ABSTRACT
The politically savvy planner knows how to survive in the political environment—and in fact commands a set of strategies for dealing effectively with it. Graphic, computer-based, and other forms of communication are also important, of course; with regard to political savvy, however, the author emphasis is on the basics of speaking and writing. Preparing press releases in a manner that optimizes the likelihood of their being used, knowing how to translate important ideas into sound bites for television, maintaining good working relationships with reporters—these, too, are important aspects of political savvy. The entire concept of political savvy—of being efficacious in the local political system—makes little sense unless one has some sense of what is being sought. Politically literate planners, according to Norman Krumholz and John Forester, know how to present focused analyses in language that others can understand. Politically literate and articulate planners thus seek to be effective educators every bit as much as rigorous analysts or problem-solvers.
