ABSTRACT
Planning in the era of dramatic change and volatile issues is more likely to result in an equitable city if the process by which those plans are designed and developed is considered by participants and affected parties alike as fair. The planning process must build consensus, it must respect and incorporate the wide range of interests that exist in the city, particularly those of people and organizations that are directly affected by the resulting plans and their consequences. The 1961 zoning revision incorporated several regulatory mechanisms that clearly linked new development with a consideration of the capacity of the environment and its infrastructure to absorb new and more intensive uses. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, federal and state environmental protection rules were enacted. A more equitable city requires collaboration that can provide a mechanism for managing differences constructively, both from the viewpoint of defining the problems and proposing solutions.
