AICP Exam Prep - Plan Making & Implementation Exam Question and Answer

1. Goals and visions; 2. Analysis of current problems; and 3. Creation and evaluation of alternatives. - Plan making is a three-part process, according to The Practice of Local Government Planning. The plan making process includes: Strategic Planning - is used to assist an organization in guiding its future. It sets goals, objectives, and policies for reaching the set objectives. This allows an organization to imagine its future while also understanding the changes in operations needed to achieve the desired future. It is shorter term, typically for five or fewer years. 1. Analyze the community or organization's needs. 2. Identify results - determine what long-term objectives the city or organization is going to pursue. 3. Admit uncertainties - analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) relating to the objectives. 4. Involve strategic stakeholders. 5. Develop and evaluate alternatives. 6. Identify the role of the city. 7. Develop a funding policy. 8. Evaluate performance. - There are eight elements to a strategic plan: Visioning - is a process whereby citizens attend a series of meetings that provide the opportunity for them to offer input on how the community could be in the future. Planners use processes to help citizens develop a conception of the future. Its focus is on the what the community wants to be rather than looking at existing conditions. This occurs early in the planning process. The citizens develop a vision statement, which is then broken down into themes that represent the consensus of the community's goals for the future. Typically has a 20- to 30-year time horizon.