This week, San Diego's City Council voted to resurrect the city's moribund Planning Department. A government-wide reorganization and energized leadership seem certain to ensure the department won't become a zombie.
After a two year absence (that seemed much longer), "the [San Diego] City Council approved a sweeping reorganization plan that once again includes a stand-alone Planning Department," reports Roger Showley. "Under the new setup, about 120 employees, most currently housed in the Development Services Department, will shift to [Planing Director Bill] Fulton, although formal transfer awaits passage of an ordinance in a few weeks in conformance with the city charter."
"We will restore long-range community planning to its rightful place as an important component for city business," Fulton said.
At Voice of San Diego, Andrew Keatts details the new organizational structure, which impacts much of the city government. "The biggest part of the reorganization might be the reintroduction of three deputy chief operating officers, each in charge of a different group of city functions — infrastructure and public works, neighborhood services and internal operations."
FULL STORY: Planning lives again at City Hall
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research