City Planning Departments - What Do They Plan? (Cincinnati: appointed, employment)

[kjbrill]

The City of Cincinnati and every other local independent jurisdiction within the entire metro area has a Planning Dept. Just exactly what do they plan other than their own retirement? The same goes for City Manager. To me the position of City Manager was created to take the pressure off of Council, the old Pass the Buck syndrome.

Once the people decide to take back control. and in this respect I am speaking of not only the City but the entire Metro region, we may be able to progress. The rate at which we have been creating public-sector jobs is astounding. You want to know where your personal rights have gone - just look there!

[t45209]

I have friends who work in the Planning Department in Cincinnati, and I know one in particular who if she read your post, I guarantee she would give you a quick kick in the shins. I know how hard some of them work, and it's not a very well-rewarded occupation.

Unfortunately, in Cincinnati the goals of Planning are often thwarted by Council. Recall that less than 10 years ago, Planning was abolished in Cincinnati, but it was restored once the implications of the void it left were understood.

[Ohiogirl81]

Haha, you couldn't pay me to be a city planner! I have friends in the biz as well, and they have the patience of Job.

Talk about pressure -- from developers who want only to make a buck, from elected representatives who want only to be re-elected, from appointed planning commission members with delusions of grandeur, from the public NIMBY and otherwise, and from the city manager who wants to keep his/her job.

When things go awry, it's not because the planners don't know what they're doing; it's because they're forced to compromise to suit all the interested parties, who more often than not have opposite interests, to the point where you're left with a horribly planned and/or watered down project.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Haha, you couldn't pay me to be a city planner! I have friends in the biz as well, and they have the patience of Job.

Talk about pressure -- from developers who want only to make a buck, from elected representatives who want only to be re-elected, from appointed planning commission members with delusions of grandeur, from the public NIMBY and otherwise, and from the city manager who wants to keep his/her job.

When things go awry, it's not because the planners don't know what they're doing; it's because they're forced to compromise to suit all the interested parties, who more often than not have opposite interests, to the point where you're left with a horribly planned and/or watered down project.

Yeah. Responsibility without authority. Everyone's worst employment nightmare.

[Matthew Hall]

I have to agree with you here. In all but a few metros, legal and political systems don't allow actual plan. Planners in the U.S. just enforce local zoning regulations. They are a strange mix of civil engineers and civil servant bureacrats. They are usually vastly over educated for the code enforcement they spend most of their time on. The exceptions in Seattle, Portland and a few other places show what actual planning looks like.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

The City of Cincinnati and every other local independent jurisdiction within the entire metro area has a Planning Dept. Just exactly what do they plan other than their own retirement? The same goes for City Manager. To me the position of City Manager was created to take the pressure off of Council, the old Pass the Buck syndrome.

Once the people decide to take back control. and in this respect I am speaking of not only the City but the entire Metro region, we may be able to progress. The rate at which we have been creating public-sector jobs is astounding. You want to know where your personal rights have gone - just look there!

City mangers were devised to discourage if not eliminate politicos paying off campaign debts, hiring relatives, etc., with/for local government jobs (such as police chief).

Technically speaking, the way it's supposed to work is that elected officials may come and go (get elected or lose), but the government services are stable because the manager was hired and stays regardless of who gets elected.

It's true the elected souls can decide to fire him/her, but they usually need a vote.

The manager should have a background (experience and/or education) in administration, ideally city or county administration.

If you need a street light on the corner, you can still call the mayor (and contribute to his/her campaign funding); but that alone won't get it.

[kjbrill]

CarpathianPeasantView Public ProfileSend a direct message to CarpathianPeasantCarpathianPeasant... And if you really need something, don't bother to call the City Managers office since 9 out of 10 times you will not even get a call back.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by CarpathianPeasant

Technically speaking, the way it's supposed to work is that elected officials may come and go (get elected or lose), but the government services are stable because the manager was hired and stays regardless of who gets elected.

Of course, the way it works in some cities -- yes, even in Cincinnati at times! -- is that every time the majority of council turns over, the current city manager is handed his/her hat.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by Matthew Hall

I have to agree with you here. In all but a few metros, legal and political systems don't allow actual plan. Planners in the U.S. just enforce local zoning regulations. They are a strange mix of civil engineers and civil servant bureacrats. They are usually vastly over educated for the code enforcement they spend most of their time on. The exceptions in Seattle, Portland and a few other places show what actual planning looks like.

Totally disagree with the bold above. Portland and Seattle both have a tremendous amount of bad strip-mall development, just like everywhere else. The developers have been profitable with more walkable urban looking stuff near downtown, and the growth has meant that the planning departments have more to do and more negotiating power -- but even these cities have tons of bad development and sprawl for the same reasons that everywhere in America does.

[kjbrill]

Name me just one suburban city planning department which has denied a subdivision, strip mall, or any similar commercial development as being opposed to the good of the City, Village, etc. I watch the local access TV channel which portends to inform us, and all I see are rubber stamp politicians saying anything the developers want is GREAT! They get up with their charts, blueprints, and state everything is in order. Just because they are meeting the letter of the law does not mean it is in the best interests of the populace. But try to find any local politician who will state that.

The planning is so superficial I have no idea why it even exists. It is all nothing but a paperwork consortium to carry out the wishes of the local council big wigs and their cronies who helped elect them. The interest of the people be dammed.