Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the community land-use planning process, the key players in it, and the legal framework in which decisions are made. It explains Citizen's become more than just an effective participant in the planning process and helps Citizen's become someone their peers will turn to because their understand the system and the issues in more depth. The United States has the most participatory, most grassroots local government planning process in the world. Good community planning takes the broad view of the public good over the long term based on principles developed by Citizen's community. Planning is rooted in values—and healthy planning is based on widely shared values that are revealed through a thoughtful and inclusive process. Not only is city and county planning getting more interesting, but the roles of both professional and citizen planners are growing more important every year.