Rural residents face a variety of challenges in planning for the future of their communities.
The bulk of these challenges stem from an array of complex legal situations that are extremely difficult to understand or rectify. This study however, focuses on a smaller issue that impedes the planning process in rural communities. Professional planners claim that lay members of planning boards can not adequately do their jobs because they have difficulty understanding important information as it is presented in planning documents. Improvements to the presentation of planning information in these documents will positively effect the lay persons' interest in community planning and their ability to perform the job. The interview and analysis revealed that planning documents are ineffective because they are typically wordy, laden with technical jargon, and poorly illustrated.