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The region is shaped by hundreds of local planning and development decisions, ranging from the creation of municipal comprehensive plans down to the approval of subdivisions and building permits.  Each city and town must have the capacity to make planning decisions that support sustainable growth for the region.  Regional plans and state policies—no matter how well crafted—will see little impact if cities and towns lack the tools and capacity to make them a reality.  Each municipality needs to have the ability to evaluate alternatives for growth and development, build consensus, create sustainable plans and zoning, and ensure that they are implemented well.  

Unfortunately, many cities and towns lack this capacity.  Dozens of municipalities lack a full-time planner, and many more have planning departments that are understaffed and overworked.  Residents have few opportunities to develop the “planning literacy”: that will help them to more constructively engage in boards, committees, and public processes.  Abutters and community members often engage in development review from a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) perspective, rather than a broader recognition of public interest.  The technical tools and assistance that could inform important planning decisions are hard to come by, not to mention the financial resources to support long-range planning efforts.

The first step to creating the needed capacity is to ensure that each municipality has a professional planner who can address comprehensive planning challenges—if not a full-time planner, then one shared with neighboring towns.  Meanwhile, the capacity of local boards and residents can be strengthened through expanded training opportunities and a cultural emphasis on informed evaluation and engagement at the local level.  This engagement can be supported through visual, quantitative, and facilitative planning tools that help communities to understand the implications of different alternatives and support consensus building.  Finally, technical resources and financial support are necessary to enable the deliberate planning efforts that form the foundation of coordinated municipal planning. 

1)    Ensure each municipality has professional planning staff

2)    Increase capacity of citizen boards through education

3)    Foster informed public participation in planning efforts

4)    Build local capacity to use planning support tools

5)    Provide more general non-contract technical support through MAPC subregions

6)    Support the development of local plans and zoning consistent with MetroFuture