To help Deval Patrick adjust to the governorship, the Massachusetts chapter of the American Planning Association, together with three other agencies, sent him (as well as the other three candidates, prior to the election) a brief October white paper (PDF) called, "Six Key Recommendations to our Next Governor to Achieve Sustainable Growth in the Commonwealth."
The four authors would like to see "fewer editorials about young talent leaving the state, and fewer reports on inefficient land consumption," and instead "more stories about sound public investment supported by all levels of government to promote resource protection, affordable housing, transportation choices, and economic development."
The paper first outlines recent successful planning initiatives, focusing on progress in the overall concept of planning as a strategy. This trend is noticeable as far as community funding practices go, for example—making better use of existing resources, and putting money toward making development plans. More collaborative plans have emerged on regional and state-wide levels, too. The trend, the paper says, is "a movement toward good planning policies."
The recommendations are, from the report:
1. Build on achievements in state planning
2. Modernize the state zoning code
3. Develop a statewide plan for smart development/preservation
4. Elevate the coordination of land use and capital planning across state government
5. Address issues that surpass local boundaries
6. Strengthen local capacity
The paper further recommends setting priorities with input from municipalities, building a transportation plan that dovetails with local or regional goals and establishing an Office of State Planning. Regarding surpassing local boundaries, the paper states that "state government can be too cumbersome to be effective on the regional or local level. Yet, regional institutions have little authority. We need to balance state policy leadership, regional action, and local understanding of problems and impacts."
Two ways to address that problem, the paper says, include rewarding communities for their regional cooperation—giving them an incentive—and identifying ways municipalities can "reduce reliance on local tax revenue so communities can work with—rather than compete with—neighbors when planning for growth."
Locally, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission offers municipalities a Planning Board Assistance program (PBA), to give towns or planning boards a boost, especially if they have no town planner. The commission assigns a professional land use planner to answer questions and become familiar with specific local challenges and opportunities. Three levels of assistance are offered, at prices ranging from $2,500 to $7,500. In a November 2005 brochure (PDF) for the program, Hadley is cited as the first town to opt for the program.
A January 2006 draft regional land use plan (PDF), "Valley Vision 2," details the cost of unplanned growth. It doesn’t just affect rural areas. From the plan:
The flight to the suburbs contributes to disinvestment in our urban communities in the Pioneer Valley. As middle-income families move out of cities, they take their incomes with them. Urban property values drop, and cities receive less income from property taxes. This causes a decline in the quality of urban services and schools. The net result is a downward spiral for cities, which can only be arrested by attracting middle-income residents back to cities through providing more housing choices and urban amenities.
In the urban core, the median value of homes dropped by $43,000 between 1990 and 2000. In addition, the value of commercial units in 2001 in the urban core lost approximately $18 million. The vacancy rate for older, less maintained commercial space (Class C) in Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke range from 27 percent to 47 percent.
If the authors of the MAPA white paper are right, the trend to turn to planners more often in considering reasonable, sustainable options for growth will only continue. For Springfield, it can’t happen too soon.
