The majority of projects or programs take place in a shorter time, say within a decade. This is called middle-range planning. The community renewal programs and neighborhood plans of recent years are aimed at completion within 10 to 12 years. Short-range planning focuses on the scheduling of service or capital improvement programs. At this stage the operating department head and specialists gradually assume primary responsibility.
Planning is dynamic and open ended.
The function of planning is to look to the future to help alleviate real problems and to make the most of all potentials. The purpose of traditional local planning has been to design a physical framework for the change and development of the community. Such planning pertains to the type and intensity of land uses as well as the kind and location of public facilities such as transportation and utilities. Services, such as health and police protection, are beginning to use planning. Using health services as an example, the service phase means the quality, quantity and variety of medical aid provided, not just the site of a hospital complex.