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The PA Chapter of the American Planning Association is accepting nominations for Great Places in PA program. Nominate your great place or greenway/trail by June 9.
Congratulations to our Building and Planning Department for their award from the PA Chapter of the American Planning Association!
Award for a Project, Program or Practice Zoning Code – Public Participation Process: Lower Merion Township – Building and Planning Department; Montgomery County Planning Commission & DPZ CoDesign .
Since its inception in 1927, the zoning code has been continuously updated until the 2020 comprehensive rewrite, predicated upon the 2016 comprehensive plan. The result was a hybrid code designed to preserve the 19th and early 20th-century railroad suburb with form-based standards to guide growth and redevelopment of the community. Critical to this process was extensive public engagement guided by Township Staff. The process began with translating hundreds of publicly generated recommendations from the comprehensive plan. The staff then developed a dedicated webpage, utilized social media, and implemented an interactive zoning map to inform residents. Staff coordinated the Civic Engagement Committee, which conducted monthly stakeholder interviews, small group meetings, and large group meetings with civic organizations, institutions and business owners. Staff also facilitated 42 public meetings and five open houses. The engagement process was concurrent with code drafting and resulted in a seamless feedback loop of project improvement. A one-day charrette was held with the Montgomery County Planning Commission, developers, engineers, architects, and attorneys to test the draft code, resulting in final calibrations prior to advertisement for adoption. The two-year civic engagement process created a culture of trust, resulting in the unanimous adoption of the plan by all fourteen Township Commissioners.
I was recently interviewed by Amy Evans from the PA Chapter of the American Planning Association for their monthly newsletter. Here's my favorite line from her article:
"Professional planners, especially ones that run social media accounts, may be skeptical that small incentives – even really fun ones – can drive regular engagement, but Zurn encourages us not to overlook the 'collector' dynamic that drives many people, and gamers in particular, to consistently interact with content."
Click the link to read the whole story.
Join us at 10am for "Innovative Zoning Codes for Rapidly Changing Times" - explore rapidly changing public expectations and how user-centered service and technology developments can enhance dated, complex zoning regulations and improve how they’re communicated to the public. PA Chapter of the American Planning Association
www.generalcode.com
What a view we've got this morning of the City of Pittsburgh. Wayne Childs is at the conference and is ready to answer questions about our ™ services - MapLink™ interactive zoning map, enhanced zoning graphics in codes, and custom local building codes (CLBC). Visit Wayne in the General Code booth to find out more!
www.generalcode.com
PA Chapter of the American Planning Association
We are so thankful to have received a 2021 designation of “Great Places in PA” by the PA Chapter of the American Planning Association surrounded by so many friends and partners from across the region. Special thank you to our friends from the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau for nominating us for this recognition!
The Lackwanna River Heritage Trail is being recognized as one of the PA Chapter of the American Planning Association’s 2021 “Great Places in PA”. The trail, which attracts more than 450,000 annual visits, was proud to be nominated by the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau!
The Phoenixville Portion of the Schuylkill River Trail was recently recognized as a 2021 Great Places in Pennsylvania award winner by the PA Chapter of the American Planning Association! Great Places are considered unique, memorable places that display a wealth of best practices in community planning, serve as a community focal point, and strengthen the local economy. Learn more:
https://planningpa.org/featured/2021-pennsylvania-great-places/
Saturday in the Park. We popped over to Lion's Pride Park to check out how people are using it! We were delighted to see so many families amd friends having a ball. They were climbing, jumping, picnicking, running, and playing music. They’d come from near and far walking, biking, scootering, and driving. They had balls and frisbees to throw and chess pieces for matches. We heard three languages being spoken. We love our work.
PA Chapter of the American Planning Association
Saturday in the Park. We popped over to Lion's Pride Park to check out how people are using it! We were delighted to see so many families amd friends having a ball. They were climbing, jumping, picnicking, running, and playing music. They’d come from near and far walking, biking, scootering, and driving. They had balls and frisbees to throw and chess pieces for matches. We heard three languages being spoken. We love our work.
PA Chapter of the American Planning Association
Do you know a , , or street that embodies excellence and promotes a sense of ? Do you think it merits designation as a Pennsylvania Great Place? If so, PLEASE NOMINATE IT! Deadline is May 7:
https://bit.ly/2POZx7B PA Chapter of the American Planning Association
Do you know a , , or street that embodies excellence and promotes a sense of ? Do you think it merits designation as a Pennsylvania Great Place? If so, PLEASE NOMINATE IT! Deadline is May 7:
https://bit.ly/2POZx7B PA Chapter of the American Planning Association