Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book seeks to help planners learn some of the judgment, thinking, weighting, and intuition that go into making “inspired” and correct choices of technique and method. It considers collecting, organizing, and communicating information. The collecting, organizing, and communicating phases of planning are usually iterative rather than linear. Planning decisions often result from negotiations in which a problem is perceived and needed information is collected from people, secondary sources including ubiquitous internet websites, and on-site observations. The book outlines the planner in anticipating, supplementing, and amplifying experience. Hypothetical case studies of typical planning situations illustrate the weighting process underlying the right choice in information collection, analysis, and communication. The chapter describes suggestions on problem definition and diagnosis, which is helpful in the selection of appropriate technique, method, or organization.