Three useful characteristics of the Bay City master plan
By Paul Montagno, AICP
There are three ways in which the recently-approved Bay City Master Plan reflects Carlisle/Wortman Associates’ commitment to master plans that are easy for people of all knowledge levels to understand and use.
1. The plan is organized around themes
Few stakeholders fully understand the concepts and vocabulary of planning, but they do know what they want. We relied heavily on their input to develop eight themes that were the most meaningful to the community:
- Community Identity
- Land use
- Housing and neighborhoods
- Connections
- Resiliency
- Recreation and entertainment
- Economic development, and
- Infrastructure.
2. The plan uses graphics to illustrate concepts and identify solutions with the greatest payoff.
An example is the use of icons to represent the plan’s themes. In the far-right column of the implementation matrix (a table of actionable tasks) an icon appears to indicate the policy categories each action will address. The more icons the more impactful.
3. The plan is available on the web using the Calameo platform.
This platform publishes the plan like a magazine. Every entry in the table of contents takes the reader to that section of the plan. It’s easy to move between chapters, zoom in, download the document or print parts or all of it. This method of publishing is included in Carlisle/Wortman Associates’ fees, for those clients who choose it.