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Planning: general 🌇 Random Planning Thoughts (and Photos) Deserving No Thread Of Their Own

Doohickie said:
We ventured over to Dallas Friday to see Donny Osmond at Fair Park Music Hall. We found a place to eat downtown and then drove over to the concert. My wife had Google directions pulled up; I had no idea where I was. After reading your post I went back and looked at the area. We ate in downtown at a food hall called The Exchange (a reference to telephone exchanges; it's part of AT&T's office complex). Then we drove through downtown to the Deep Ellum district and then to Fair Park. We've been to Fair Park lots of times, though not since the pandemic. And all the previous times we relied on Google to get us there.

My wife plugged in Fair Park and not Fair Park parking, so Google took us right to the building. We previously entered Fair Park at Gates 5 or 6 which takes you to the parking lots inside the Fair Park perimeter, southeast of the Music Hall. But we ended up just north of the music hall, at saw Gate 4. There was no car entrance at Gate 4, just pedestrians. So we randomly followed another car which turned onto Exposition Ave. and into a commercial parking lot. We parked there; it was $17 to pay online. It was fine. The nice thing was when the show was over, the parking lot exited to First Ave. which takes you directly to the I-30 ramps, east and west, and we got out of there much more quickly then we did when we parked inside Fair Park. There's a ton of cars inside the perimeter and just a few lanes going out.

So because we got lost by not searching for the correct location, we found a better place to park and if we go there for shows in the future we'll save a lot of time.
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I am slightly too young to remember telephone exchanges, but there is something super cool about having a phone number like "PYramid-1235" or whatever. I wish those would come back.

Can I really call up BEechwood 45789 at any time?

Back in the early 90's, I knew every area code, but there are so dang many nowadays. I do know that the area codes with a "0" in the middle were assigned to states with only one area code, whereas the "1" as the second digit meant the state had more than one area code. Big cities got the "lower" codes (like Manhattan, 212, and LA, 213, etc.) because it took less time to dial those on the actual rotary dial.

It wasn't until the late 90's that the requirement that area codes have a second digit or 0 or 1 went out the window.

On a related note, I wonder if that is why so many businesses have phone numbers ending in "00?" Perhaps a throwback to the lettered exchange era?

Jim
 
One of our planners was at the Olympics last week (attending, not participating) and is stranded in London due to a flight cancellation. Guess who gets to fill in for him at the meeting?
 
Doohickie said:
We ventured over to Dallas Friday to see Donny Osmond at Fair Park Music Hall. We found a place to eat downtown and then drove over to the concert. My wife had Google directions pulled up; I had no idea where I was. After reading your post I went back and looked at the area. We ate in downtown at a food hall called The Exchange (a reference to telephone exchanges; it's part of AT&T's office complex). Then we drove through downtown to the Deep Ellum district and then to Fair Park. We've been to Fair Park lots of times, though not since the pandemic. And all the previous times we relied on Google to get us there.

My wife plugged in Fair Park and not Fair Park parking, so Google took us right to the building. We previously entered Fair Park at Gates 5 or 6 which takes you to the parking lots inside the Fair Park perimeter, southeast of the Music Hall. But we ended up just north of the music hall, at saw Gate 4. There was no car entrance at Gate 4, just pedestrians. So we randomly followed another car which turned onto Exposition Ave. and into a commercial parking lot. We parked there; it was $17 to pay online. It was fine. The nice thing was when the show was over, the parking lot exited to First Ave. which takes you directly to the I-30 ramps, east and west, and we got out of there much more quickly then we did when we parked inside Fair Park. There's a ton of cars inside the perimeter and just a few lanes going out.

So because we got lost by not searching for the correct location, we found a better place to park and if we go there for shows in the future we'll save a lot of time.
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My rule of thumb for parking at events: Park for easy EXIT, not easy entry. Reason being, coming to an event, people stagger in. But leaving, everyone is out en masse, and you want to be close to the front of the line to get out.

Hasn't failed me in 30 years.

Jim
 
jumbach said:
My rule of thumb for parking at events: Park for easy EXIT, not easy entry. Reason being, coming to an event, people stagger in. But leaving, everyone is out en masse, and you want to be close to the front of the line to get out.

Hasn't failed me in 30 years.

Jim
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When I go grocery shopping I park next to the cart corral, not closest to the door.
The One Where Estelle Dies Episode 15 GIF by Friends
 
Doohickie said:
When I go grocery shopping I park next to the cart corral, not closest to the door.
The One Where Estelle Dies Episode 15 GIF by Friends
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I never park in the front 20% of the lot, on the logic that someone who is not necessarily handicapped but may appreciate having a close spot (elderly, etc.) would like that spot. Plus, I can use the steps.

This rule does not apply from 2200-0600. (I am seldom out during those hours though)

I also suspended it for three months after my brain surgery, but also extended out the sunset date (currently December 28, 2044.)

Jim
 
Some quotes from the NIMBYs in a nice part of our town regarding an affordable housing project being built on some infill land (by an actually really reputable developer)

I am appalled that you would allow these developers...to build a low income housing development in my neighborhood!

How dare you bring in a low income housing development and jeopardize not only our property values but our safety!

Would you want a low income housing development moving into YOUR neighborhood? I doubt it! How do you sleep at night knowing you are going to ruin neighborhoods?
 
Riverotterr said:
Some quotes from the NIMBYs in a nice part of our town regarding an affordable housing project being built on some infill land (by an actually really reputable developer)

I am appalled that you would allow these developers...to build a low income housing development in my neighborhood!

How dare you bring in a low income housing development and jeopardize not only our property values but our safety!

Would you want a low income housing development moving into YOUR neighborhood? I doubt it! How do you sleep at night knowing you are going to ruin neighborhoods?
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People who are so afraid of other people just are... disappointing.
 
Doohickie said:
Thus the beauty of owning a 10-year-old car. I don't really care.
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Her rationale is that when we had a mini-van, a wind storm came through and blew a cart into the rear door causing to then have a large dent below the license plate. We knew it was a shopping cart is measured up perfectly and the blue plastic bumpers on the card left residue. Grocery store said they were not liable. Their property yet the signs they post throughout the parking lot evidently absolve them from any responsibility.
 
Riverotterr said:
Some quotes from the NIMBYs in a nice part of our town regarding an affordable housing project being built on some infill land (by an actually really reputable developer)

I am appalled that you would allow these developers...to build a low income housing development in my neighborhood!

How dare you bring in a low income housing development and jeopardize not only our property values but our safety!

Would you want a low income housing development moving into YOUR neighborhood? I doubt it! How do you sleep at night knowing you are going to ruin neighborhoods?
Click to expand...

I don't really get the objection. The overwhelming majority of low-income residents are honest. hard-working folks who just want to go about their lives like everyone else. My wife and I lived in Section 42 housing for a couple of years after we got married (I worked at a nonprofit, she was retail, and we barely scraped by on less than $40K a year). Why do you care how much your neighbors make?

If it was a high-end residential condo going up, you'd still have the same issues with traffic, etc. that you would with income-restricted housing. In fact, more so, because the high-end condo owners likely drive a lot more places and have a lot more cars than the low-income residents.

Jim
 
Thirty years ago I took an undergraduate environmental policy course. There, I learned about Deep Ecology as a potential force to turn parks and preserves into living sanctuaries to nurture nature away from human influence. If you’ve heard of the concept, then you know it’s a fairly radical idea. This got me thinking about communities that want to be sustainable and do their part to significantly reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. What if there was a similarly situated Deep Urban Sustainability concept where communities outlawed roads and fossil-fuel-powered vehicles? I am not talking about the New Green Deal. And not that Kunstler pseudo cli-fi “made by hand” stuff he wrote 15 to 20 years ago either. That’s weak sauce compared to what I’ve got marinating in my mind. It would take a broad communal mindset of isolation away from modern society, no cars, no lawn mowers, no combustible engines. Imagine a chunk of, say, Atlanta, walling off the freeway system and moating itself from the broader developed region. Sounds like a M Night Sham Man movie, I know. But… what if?
 
Overheard:

"Moving downtown and complaining about the noise is like farting and then complaining about the smell."

Jim
 
Wannaplan? said:
Thirty years ago I took an undergraduate environmental policy course. There, I learned about Deep Ecology as a potential force to turn parks and preserves into living sanctuaries to nurture nature away from human influence. If you’ve heard of the concept, then you know it’s a fairly radical idea. This got me thinking about communities that want to be sustainable and do their part to significantly reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. What if there was a similarly situated Deep Urban Sustainability concept where communities outlawed roads and fossil-fuel-powered vehicles? I am not talking about the New Green Deal. And not that Kunstler pseudo cli-fi “made by hand” stuff he wrote 15 to 20 years ago either. That’s weak sauce compared to what I’ve got marinating in my mind. It would take a broad communal mindset of isolation away from modern society, no cars, no lawn mowers, no combustible engines. Imagine a chunk of, say, Atlanta, walling off the freeway system and moating itself from the broader developed region. Sounds like a M Night Sham Man movie, I know. But… what if?
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episode 14 shock GIF
 
Doohickie said:
episode 14 shock GIF
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Is it possible for a community to plan for its own future disconnected from religion (as your gif suggests) and the combustible engine? My inquiry was serious, though infused with a little bit of curious whimsy as a point of departure from how communities typically plan. Imagine you are leading the Master Plan update for a large urban metro and the project scope included subplans for specified neighborhoods, and one neighborhood said let’s physically separate from the rest of the happy motoring urban metro and the electeds said yes, let’s be innovative, let’s try that, it’s only one neighborhood.
 
Wannaplan? said:
Is it possible for a community to plan for its own future disconnected from religion (as your gif suggests) and the combustible engine? My inquiry was serious, though infused with a little bit of curious whimsy as a point of departure from how communities typically plan. Imagine you are leading the Master Plan update for a large urban metro and the project scope included subplans for specified neighborhoods, and one neighborhood said let’s physically separate from the rest of the happy motoring urban metro and the electeds said yes, let’s be innovative, let’s try that, it’s only one neighborhood.
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I'm sorry, but I fail to see the benefit. I think most people would also fail to see the benefit.
 
Wannaplan? said:
Thirty years ago I took an undergraduate environmental policy course. There, I learned about Deep Ecology as a potential force to turn parks and preserves into living sanctuaries to nurture nature away from human influence. If you’ve heard of the concept, then you know it’s a fairly radical idea. This got me thinking about communities that want to be sustainable and do their part to significantly reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. What if there was a similarly situated Deep Urban Sustainability concept where communities outlawed roads and fossil-fuel-powered vehicles? I am not talking about the New Green Deal. And not that Kunstler pseudo cli-fi “made by hand” stuff he wrote 15 to 20 years ago either. That’s weak sauce compared to what I’ve got marinating in my mind. It would take a broad communal mindset of isolation away from modern society, no cars, no lawn mowers, no combustible engines. Imagine a chunk of, say, Atlanta, walling off the freeway system and moating itself from the broader developed region. Sounds like a M Night Sham Man movie, I know. But… what if?
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Before the last sentence, I was thinking of "The Village" or more recently Devolution by Max Brooks (maybe without bigfoot). Might work for a generation or until a crop collapse or outbreak, but I can't imagine it truly being sustainable without a massive amount of land.
 
Yeah, it might be ecologically sustainable at some level, but I don't think it would be socially sustainable. Most people would not want to deprive themselves of modern conveniences.
 
Wannaplan? said:
Are we not professional planners on this board? Wow, I thought the benefit was obvious. This devolution into ignorance is a frightening prospect for the future, we truly have reached the point of no return.

View attachment 63059
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On a macro level I could see the benefit of reducing emissions and all that, but small community is not going to change global warming.

Now... what Paris is doing.... that might actually lead somewhere.
 
Wannaplan? said:
Thirty years ago I took an undergraduate environmental policy course. There, I learned about Deep Ecology as a potential force to turn parks and preserves into living sanctuaries to nurture nature away from human influence. If you’ve heard of the concept, then you know it’s a fairly radical idea. This got me thinking about communities that want to be sustainable and do their part to significantly reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. What if there was a similarly situated Deep Urban Sustainability concept where communities outlawed roads and fossil-fuel-powered vehicles? I am not talking about the New Green Deal. And not that Kunstler pseudo cli-fi “made by hand” stuff he wrote 15 to 20 years ago either. That’s weak sauce compared to what I’ve got marinating in my mind. It would take a broad communal mindset of isolation away from modern society, no cars, no lawn mowers, no combustible engines. Imagine a chunk of, say, Atlanta, walling off the freeway system and moating itself from the broader developed region. Sounds like a M Night Sham Man movie, I know. But… what if?
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Now you're into Philip K Dick territory.
 
Had to actually use the phrase "my AICP Code of Ethics does not let me do this" because an applicant would NOT let up and was pressuring me to sign a state level form certifying something met zoning when I couldn't verify everything on the spot...
 
In 2006, I worked as a temp in the office of a construction company for several weeks.

Who would have known that here in 2024, some of the people that still work there actually remember me? Apparently, I was known for my "dad jokes" and that was my legacy. They didn't remember my name, but they remembered that kid that told jokes all day.

I had hair then.

Jim
 
I sometimes love my city. Mayor had a meeting with some lobbyist that's complaining about or fees. We addressed most of their concerns before the meeting so she just used the meeting to harass them that they haven't done enough to lobby for advanced water treatment, one of the things we're trying to fund. Way to turn it around.
 
We had a downtown merchants meeting and there was a group of 4 business owners which attended with a very negative and hostile attitude from the beginning. They were claiming the city was ruining their businesses because of the downtown improvements - never mind that only 1 of them is in the construction zone. The meeting didn't go very well.

Yesterday I went to each of their businesses to ask them questions about any issues they have/had. I went at 9:00-10:00 am as not to interfere with busier business times. Here are their replies:

1-I'm fine I guess. I know you're working hard to keep the contractors going. I was just frustrated. (she is in the construction area)
2-closed & hours are M-F weekdays 10:00-5:30
3-closed & hours are W-Sat 11:00-5:00
4-open & hours are 9:00-5:00, but she (who came to the meeting) only works 3 days a week in the afternoon


Besides number 1, these all sound like hobby businesses and with their hours, their retail sales are going to limited. But of course, it's the city's fault.
 
I am planning on taking the AICP in November . . . Any tidbits from your personal experience?

In the meantime, trying to read anything and everything and watch a lot of Planetizen Courses, without getting too bogged down in detail.

Jim
 
Tips for the test day:
  • they don't give you bathroom breaks - if you need to go the clock keeps ticking.
  • dress in layers. You never know how cold they keep the testing room.
  • take nothing but your ID with you. They will provide pencils and all the stuff you need.
  • If you take the test online at home be prepared for some pain in the @ss requirements like sweeping your camera under your desk and having nothing on any walls.

Test tips:
  • practice tests, do any that you can find.
  • Use the "mark" function on the test to bypass questions you can't answer in a minute. You can go back and answer it later.
  • Sometimes the answer to the question you passed on comes up later in the test - like something will remind you what the answer is.
  • The test is designed for a public planner doing management work. Know what the answer would be if you had someone working for you and X happens. It's usually common sense.
  • Some questions are scenario based like you are going to make a plan so what is the first step, or next step, or missing step
  • The green bible book is a great resource for those kinds of questions - don't read it cover to cover, but know the planning process
  • Census stuff and demographics comes up a little - know what a block, tract, etc. is
  • Know basic stuff like is acre is how many square feet
  • brush up on APA policy guides that are recent or somehow important topics - water, housing come to mind. If there was a planning magazine dedicated to the topic, read the policy guide
  • Answers are what an AICP planner would do. Not what you would do or your city, not right or wrong
  • It's a regional test, forget all your local laws and how they apply to the problem.
 
DVD said:
Tips for the test day:
  • they don't give you bathroom breaks - if you need to go the clock keeps ticking.
  • dress in layers. You never know how cold they keep the testing room.
  • take nothing but your ID with you. They will provide pencils and all the stuff you need.
  • If you take the test online at home be prepared for some pain in the @ss requirements like sweeping your camera under your desk and having nothing on any walls.

Test tips:
  • practice tests, do any that you can find.
  • Use the "mark" function on the test to bypass questions you can't answer in a minute. You can go back and answer it later.
  • Sometimes the answer to the question you passed on comes up later in the test - like something will remind you what the answer is.
  • The test is designed for a public planner doing management work. Know what the answer would be if you had someone working for you and X happens. It's usually common sense.
  • Some questions are scenario based like you are going to make a plan so what is the first step, or next step, or missing step
  • The green bible book is a great resource for those kinds of questions - don't read it cover to cover, but know the planning process
  • Census stuff and demographics comes up a little - know what a block, tract, etc. is
  • Know basic stuff like is acre is how many square feet
  • brush up on APA policy guides that are recent or somehow important topics - water, housing come to mind. If there was a planning magazine dedicated to the topic, read the policy guide
  • Answers are what an AICP planner would do. Not what you would do or your city, not right or wrong
  • It's a regional test, forget all your local laws and how they apply to the problem.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips. I assume you mean the ICMA "Local Planning" book? I have checked it out and returned it via ILL at my library so many times I wonder if they will be cutting me off from getting it soon . . . OTOH it keeps the ILL librarian busy.

I plan on going to the testing center and taking it there. I don't think I would do as well at home.

I tend to hate multi-choice tests in general. I'd rather you just give me a blue book and let me have at it. (Boy, am I dating myself.)

I will get more and more nervous as the day approaches. I just need to remember to breathe, that passing the test is not a requirement for my job (but it's encouraged), and that I can always try again.

Jim
 
DVD said:
Tips for the test day:
  • they don't give you bathroom breaks - if you need to go the clock keeps ticking.
  • dress in layers. You never know how cold they keep the testing room.
  • take nothing but your ID with you. They will provide pencils and all the stuff you need.
  • If you take the test online at home be prepared for some pain in the @ss requirements like sweeping your camera under your desk and having nothing on any walls.

Test tips:
  • practice tests, do any that you can find.
  • Use the "mark" function on the test to bypass questions you can't answer in a minute. You can go back and answer it later.
  • Sometimes the answer to the question you passed on comes up later in the test - like something will remind you what the answer is.
  • The test is designed for a public planner doing management work. Know what the answer would be if you had someone working for you and X happens. It's usually common sense.
  • Some questions are scenario based like you are going to make a plan so what is the first step, or next step, or missing step
  • The green bible book is a great resource for those kinds of questions - don't read it cover to cover, but know the planning process
  • Census stuff and demographics comes up a little - know what a block, tract, etc. is
  • Know basic stuff like is acre is how many square feet
  • brush up on APA policy guides that are recent or somehow important topics - water, housing come to mind. If there was a planning magazine dedicated to the topic, read the policy guide
  • Answers are what an AICP planner would do. Not what you would do or your city, not right or wrong
  • It's a regional test, forget all your local laws and how they apply to the problem.
Click to expand...
I have taken some of the practice tests--some of them are awfully nitpicky, and/or not related to planning. How is "What is the only NYC borough on the US mainland" a planning question? (I know it's the Bronx, BTW--my mother was from NYC and I spent two semesters in planning school getting six credits of classes about Robert Moses, so I better know. :) )

Jim
 
Yeah, way to specific of a question, but you will get crap like which state uses the Parish system or just knowing that NYC uses boroughs
 
jumbach said:
I have taken some of the practice tests--some of them are awfully nitpicky, and/or not related to planning. How is "What is the only NYC borough on the US mainland" a planning question? (I know it's the Bronx, BTW--my mother was from NYC and I spent two semesters in planning school getting six credits of classes about Robert Moses, so I better know. :) )

Jim
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I recall a question similar to "this was the African-American single-female household population in 1960 Baltimore" or similar. WTF?
 
DVD gave you the best advice. My big thing was the practice tests.

When I took the test, I read the first 5 questions and couldn't answer them. Question 6 was How many square feet in an acre? and that got me going (I went back and answered those first 5 at the end). One question that always bugged me was:
"Which city has the highest Hispanic population?"
A. San Franciso, CA
B. Denver, CO
C. St. Louis. MO
D. Tampa, FL
(this was 1992 mind you)
 
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