We raised questions about land-use controls at roadway intersections. Little connection seemed to be drawn between road-building and land uses. By the time we arrived in Beijing at the start of the next week, we were aware of another line of common interest. We discussed ways that frustrations arise less from a dearth of policy ideas, but more from bureaucratic obstacles to implementation. In China, numerous ministries have analogues on each of five levels of government.
Policy tends to flow down from Beijing, but funding and implementation rely on lower levels.
Accurate information does not always get to key decision-making points. At the conclusion of the conference, an agreement was signed to continue to nurture this planners' exchange. Ultimately, my initial concerns about flaring controversy proved ill-founded. In unexpected ways, the New Jersey state planning experience provided interesting insights. The remaining myths are discussed below.