The purpose of planning is to help decision makers arrive at informed and thoughtful decisions. Good information, which is the basis of good planning, helps officials predict what might happen in certain situations. Ultimately, planning helps people take responsibility for their community, molding it into the kind of place in which they want to live, work, and play. Planning can promote development that will meet local needs and at the same time discourage other development that will reduce the community's economic strength, physical appearance, or environmental quality. Planning can be described as the process of preparing recommendations for policies and courses of action to achieve generally accepted community objectives, with careful attention to the probable effects of those recommended policies.
Planning helps a community work toward their goals in a step by step fashion.
Planning encourages pro-active thinking. Planning can help allocate scarce resources. Land use regulations and infrastructure development should reflect the goals identified in the community plan. Without a plan that identifies land use, economic, and social goals, there is no guide upon which to base community regulations and investments. Can . . .