The RAPs provide the action plan for neighborhood improvements. Team members are also better able to perform their core jobs by interacting with each other and community members. Citizens benefit by having identified team members to work with instead of an anonymous City Hall. They also get more assistance form City staff and have gained a stronger voice in what goes on in their communities. First of all, planners need to get away from preparing plans that just focus on the long term and on land use to preparing plans that are more comprehensive, encompassing social, economic and cultural issues as well as land use and infrastructure.
Comprehensive plans have value in providing the long-term vision for a community.
But, we need to supplement comprehensive plans with a strategic planning process that results in identifiable projects that will actually accomplish necessary short and mid-range objectives, whether it's fixing a pothole or building a new library. And, planners should become proactively involved in the monitoring and implementation of our plans. Planners should also work more interactively with other experts. Municipal planners, in particular, should capitalize on the wealth of technical expertise at their disposal in other departments. They should also work to educate other departments of the benefits of working with planners and the need and benefits of working within the framework of a long term vision.