Planning Commissioners Journal Hits the Road
The national publication, the Planning Commissioners Journal, is hitting the road — literally. Editor Wayne Senville is taking a scenic drive across America via U.S. Route 50. The best part is, he is blogging daily about the trip. From the press release:
Do planners face the same issues in Maryland as they do in Colorado, in Ohio as in Kansas? That’s part of what Wayne Senville, editor of the national Planning Commissioners Journal will be finding out during a six-week cross-country trip along U.S. Route 50.
Between the Memorial Day weekend and July 10th, Senville will be meeting with planners and planning commissioners in more than two dozen communities in the 12 states (and the District of Columbia) that Route 50 crosses.
According to Senville: “In conversations I’ve had with planners in setting up this trip, I know I’ll be reporting on many critical issues facing cities and towns, from the revitalization of downtowns and urban riverfronts to dealing with the effects of explosive growth. I’ll also be covering a diverse range of concerns: tourism and its impacts; inner-city economics; neighborhood efforts to make it easier for residents to ‘age in place;’ how to promote citizen involvement in local planning; and much more.” And, adds Senville, “of course, I’ll also be talking with planners about the challenges they face in dealing with roads and highways.”
In less than two weeks Senville will be in St. Louis. One of those that Senville will be talking with is yours truly. Back to the press release:
One of most innovative aspects of this trip — indeed as far as we know the first time it’s being done to report on coast-to-coast planning issues — is that Senville will be posting daily online reports on what he’s hearing. Through a combination of text, photos, video, and audio clips, visitors to the Route 50 blog site: www.Rte50.com will be able to follow Senville as he works his way West. Visitors to the blog are encouraged to leave comments on any of the postings.
The Route 50 blog is already started with visits to a couple of towns in Maryland after leaving Burlington Vt. I think readers here will find it interesting, I know I certainly enjoy reading about planning issues facing cities, townships and counties. We are more alike than we are different.
I have an idea about things I want to communicate with Senville (both good & bad) but I want to hear what you think is important for the Planning Commissioners Journal to understand about St. Louis.
FYI – there is a nice article about Downtown St. Louis in the June issue of Planning magazine.
With regard to Senville’s visit, I’d be interested in hearing his take on regionalism and what are do-able regional issues to tackle. Why do some big-scale regional projects work so well (Nashville Metro, the Zoo-Museum District) and some not so well. How does an area foster a common sense of purpose? I have my own ideas on the subject, of course – and clearly there’s no quick fix or single solution – but I’d be interested in his thoughts.