Public Sector Role In Growth: Lead Or Get Out

Azusa, CA City Manager Rick Cole, offers a blunt perspective of some of the dilemmas inherent in planning, and how they should be solved.

1 minute read

September 27, 2001, 9:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


The Urban Land Institute recently organized it's Southern California Real Estate Summit with the sole purpose of creating 'Strategies for Solutions'. The opening remarks, by Azusa, CA City, Manager Rick Cole, codified some of the dilemmas inherent in the process and detailed how they should be solved: "What's the role of the public sector in dealing with the profound challenge of growth in Southern California? For most elected and appointed officials, the honest answer is not to lead. It's not to follow. It's certainly not to get out of the way. The sad, but honest answer, is that our role these days is to get in the way."

Thanks to Jon Lonner

Wednesday, September 26, 2001 in The Planning Report

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