Last Friday I was accepted into, and committed to enrolling in, Eastern Washington University's Urban and Regional Planning program. This blog will be dedicated to the process of attaining a planning degree, including notes on the classes I take, the books I read, connections between the planning theory and current topics in the community, and observations and questions I have relating to these.
I hope that this blog will be an opportunity for people to see what is involved in planning, its processes, the development of planning theory, and the practice of planning in a real life environment. I encourage people to comment and ask questions, as it may be something I can explain by learning it myself!
My background includes eight years as a city council member of Liberty Lake, Washington. I was a driving force behind creating the comprehensive plan and development regulations for the city, and worked in a quasi-judicial manner on several occasions. I also served on the Board of Directors of Spokane Transit and the Spokane Regional Transportation Council.
I am very concerned about how our institutionalized reaction to growth affects our natural environment and our individual and societal well-being. I hope that through this program I will better learn how to use the tools in the public realm to ensure that as this region grows it does not (at a minimum) harm our quality of life, but rather enhances it. I also hope to help develop new tools when the current tools are deemed insufficient.
I look forward to the conversation.
