Thought Leadership

Elevating Community Engagement By Ben Block and Larry Witzling, Ph.D. What Is A “Virtual” Meeting? Virtual online meetings have already begun to revolutionize our ability to engage the public in discussing plans and visions for their communities.  Just as the telephone transformed communication with “virtual” voices, new digital software and hardware will continue to transform…

Disrupt Comprehensive Planning By Ben Block and Larry Witzling, Ph.D. Nine Silos Have Dismembered Comprehensive Planning Comprehensive planning has a robust history, with differing methodologies emerging from various ideologies and historical movements. For the past two decades, however, most planners in Wisconsin have employed a singular approach for developing comprehensive plans. This approach is based…

Comprehensive Infrastructure Enables Dynamic Development Solving the Dilemma Have you ever been frustrated that your new technology doesn’t fit nicely with your existing setup? It’s the same phenomenon as when a new development project needs a curb cut, parking lot, service entrance, lift station, stormwater pond, or any other piece of infrastructure that was left…

Resurgent Streets – After the Pandemic Can we make streets greater than before? When the pandemic ends, our streets will experience a social explosion. After months of social isolation and pent-up energy, we can expect a grand revival of all our public spaces. This revival will be obvious in dense metro downtowns that are designed…

Reframing The Last Mile Dilemma The “last mile” may not be the last problem For years analysts have described the “last mile” as the key missing transportation link between employees in urban areas and jobs in sprawling suburbs, located beyond the reach of public transit. Employees cannot access these job opportunities without a car that…

Navigating the Urban Waterfront What is the Value of an Urban Shoreline? Many communities debate the future of their public waterfronts – some want large marinas while others want quiet woodlands. Disagreement about views and easements associated with waterfront development abound. While most communities prioritize parks and public places on the waterfront, there is still…

Let’s Stop “Isolating” Sustainability! Does “Sustainability” Have a Bottom Line? Most comprehensive plans isolate “sustainability” as a separate category and focus almost exclusively on the natural environment as the bottom line.  In practice, planners need to stop “isolating” sustainability as a separate planning issue and ensure consideration of three interlocked components: environmental protection, economic vitality,…

Will Recovery be as “Novel” as the Virus? What goes up must come down. Is the inverse true? Can social routines return to normal after this virus is controlled?  We did, after all, experience tremendous growth following the great recession. This time there is no guarantee. Whether restaurants, shops, and small businesses recover, or wither…