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October: National Community Planning Month Laramie, WY October 2013 Have you ever gotten lost on a hike, fishing trip, or bicycle ride? Many of us recall that uneasy feeling of realizing you don’t know where you are. You knew you had a goal (home), but you didn’t know how to reach it. Of course, you eventually found your way back (or you wouldn’t be reading this), but it probably felt uncomfortable for a while. And afterwards, you probably thought: “Next time, I’m taking the map.” As strange as it may seem, communities can get lost, just like individuals. A community may have a goal, but have no idea how to reach it. Communities need maps, too. One of the most vital maps is planning. For communities – specifically, for local governments, such as the City of Laramie – planning has a specific meaning. All communities change. Some changes are unpredictable and unplanned, but in general, we can anticipate what kind of change may be coming in the near future, and we can prepare for it. We can decide on one or more goals, and we can come up with a map of how to get there. The Laramie community takes planning seriously. Specifically, we recognize that we need a set of goals and that we need a set of maps to reach them. The City’s goals are set out in our Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted in current form in 2007 and has been updated a number of time since then. The Comprehensive Plan is not Laramie’s only set of goals, but it is a critical part of them, affecting everything from the City’s adopted budget to daily operations. Laramie has also developed a series of “maps” (policies) to help the community reach our goals. One of the most important policies is the City budget – it would be foolish (not to mention illegal) for the City of spend money in random, uncoordinated fashion. Another vital policy is the Laramie Unified Development Code (UDC), encompassing zoning, subdivision, and building codes. The UDC regulates development (just another word for change), and affects everything from where new houses are built, to the size of our wastewater-treatment plant. Each year, the City of Laramie, along with many other cities, towns and counties across the U.S., proclaims October as Community Planning Month. The City is involved in the American Planning Association, a group of professionals that coordinates this event (one might say that the APA makes plans to recognize planning). Planning is not unlike many other municipal functions. Most of us don’t consciously think about where the water goes when it vanishes down the shower drain, or what has to be done to keep a fire engine ready to roll. Proclaiming Community Planning Month is a way that Laramie can pause for a moment and consider how critical the planning process, and the plans themselves, are to keeping our high quality of life. With Community Planning Month, we have the opportunity to think about the careful planning that goes into making our community maps. It’s another way to recognize that it takes a little work to keep the road map up-to-date – something you can appreciate all the more on your next bicycle ride.