PRESIDENT’ S CORNER

Quo Vadis, State Planning?
Carlos Rodrigues AICP / PP, NJAPA Chapter President

Some of you may have heard, over the years, my lecture on the history of state planning in New Jersey. It begins in the early 1930’s – a heady period for planning everywhere, when the Regional Plan Association was releasing the world’s 1st Regional Plan, when Radburn was being conceived, when zoning and building codes and municipal master plans where first coming of age. The lecture continues with the successive state planning efforts between then and now, using state planning as a thread to describe the evolution of planning in general throughout the rest of the 20th century. The lecture concludes with the very successful, consensus-driven 2001 state plan, where the cycle in many ways comes full circle. The initial emphasis on physical planning and design, long neglected, was rediscovered and reinstated; while the interest in creating a workable statewide planning framework was further recognized, strengthened and legitimized through a second round of cross-acceptance.

The latest state planning effort has now been underway since the Spring of 2004. It was meant to reaffirm the 2001 Plan, in a low-key way, with room for minor modifications to address technical mapping issues. But the effort has hit some unexpected shoals. While the state plan’s policies are largely undisputed, its mapped expression has become increasingly contentious. Unlike previous cross-acceptances -- when the Office of State Planning and local and county governments struggled to reconcile conflicting values and expectations – this cross-acceptance is marked by a profound schism within State Government. The Office of Smart Growth – the custodian of the state plan and staff to the State Planning Commission (SPC) – has been in a quiet arm wrestling match with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) over mapping issues. Largely hushed for years, this struggle has recently become luridly public, with open displays of animosity and rancor between the two state agencies.

What is going on? The answer unfortunately is not good news for planning. NJDEP, after its ham-fisted “BIG map” fiasco, has bounced back with another, only slightly more subtle attempt to commandeer the state planning process, this time from within. Not satisfied with expressing its views through its seat on the SPC – where it has to share the podium with other state agencies and with the SPC’s public members -- NJDEP has been using its insider influence to actively thwart the cross-acceptance process -- and the parallel “plan endorsement” process – in order to further its own interests.

Unfortunately, the kind of balanced, consensus-based, fact-based planning our profession widely promotes plays no role in NJDEP’s current agenda. NJDEP has made no attempt to collaboratively work within the state planning framework, or even to understand it. It is dead set on undermining it, and taking it over. Just ask the mayors of the shore communities affected by the lapsing of the provisions that attempted to reconcile CAFRA with the State Plan’s “centers” concept. Ask any mayor of a center-designated municipality. Ask any mayor of a metropolitan planning area (PA1) or suburban planning area (PA2) municipality. Ask any developer of a brownfield or urban site, anywhere. Ask any mayor of a town with a train or ferry station.

The current NJDEP Commissioner was quoted early in his tenure as saying “NJ is done with planning -- now its time for action”. Hello, planners .. are you lost in translation?

Make no mistake. This is a bare-knuckle, shameless attempt to subvert a well-respected, long-standing public planning process in favor of a radical, conservation-driven agenda that lacks either a scientific or a legislative basis. It mocks our public planning process, and it openly mocks the planning profession. It is a truly embarrassing manifestation of one state agency’s contempt for public values. It would not pass the laugh test .. if only folks were paying attention.

The SPC meanwhile has been in a prolonged slumber for the past year. We planners are justifiably devoted to this body -- but it is time we send it a message: wake up, smell the coffee, face the music, show some backbone and publicly stand up for your mission. In fact, after the pledge of allegiance, it would not be inappropriate for the SPC to start its meetings with a recitation of those sections from the State Planning Act that define its mission – a mission which is firmly rooted in planning as a discipline, in public participation as a process, and in balanced development as the ultimate goal. Some folks tend to forget that.

As always, I welcome your thoughts. Please contact me at pres@njapa.org

The President’s Corner reflects the opinion of the President and not necessarily that of the Executive Committee or the membership.