Understanding Community-based Planning

In order to understand how community-based planning might affect its environment, one must better understand its history, what it is, and what it entails.

As stated by author George Kent, there have been many instances of community-based planning, however it has been ignored by most modern planners. One of the earliest examples began with and was supported by, Ghandi (Kent, 5). It was a village-based planning system in India called the “Panchayati Raj system” (Kent, 5). It was formally introduced into their constitution in 1992 and it allowed each village to be responsible for its own planning and development, however India chose to remain a centralized form of government planning (Kumar,1). India has since developed a more lenient view that does allow villages more control over their community’s development while still maintaining most of the control to the government (Kumar, 2).

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Kent argues that one of the earliest instances of community-based planning in the United States began with The Institute for Cultural Affairs in Chicago which began in 1962 (Kent, 5). The Institute for Cultural Affairs aims to “strengthen the capacities of organizations, communities, and individuals to build and implement innovative plans of action that draw upon assets and social capital in a collaborative manner” (Institute of Cultural Affairs). This organization tries to strengthen communities by empowering the individuals and allowing for their culture to come through in their neighborhood and has since created 13 different organizations in 26 states (Institute of Cultural Affairs).

They recognize the surrounding culture and choose to collaborate with the community; this form of collaboration is very similar to what New York City is doing today. According to the New York City Department of City Planning, community-based planning is “essential to the city’s vitality.” It allows for the community’s individuals to take part in issues that affect their neighborhood. Additionally, community-based planning incorporates the people involved in that neighborhood who make decisions for their community. Rather than managing the planning and infrastructure on a city-wide basis, people are now taking it into their own neighborhoods to decide what is best for their community. Equally important, it is in the best interest of the community to handle their infrastructure according to the needs of their neighborhood.

In addition, the projects handled are specific for every community (NYC Department…). These issues can range from affordable housing to fixing broken street lights or handles park maintenance. For example, the Department of City Planning in New York organizes a plan to support and assist neighborhoods with “mixed-income housing and supporting services” (NYC Department…). In this case, they worked with local community leaders and community individuals to tackle issues affecting certain neighborhoods so that each community has a solution tailored to their issue specifically. This department in New York also has a database in which they house information on the 59 community districts such as housing, population, and land use (NYC Department…). Not only does this database allow for information to further help the individual communities, but it also allows for updates on how the projects are advancing. As a result, this department’s task forces have helped in building more efficient parking plans, bridges, and housing. 

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