RELIGIOUSITY AND THE HOLIEST PROFESSION: Planning

The American Planning Association has a couple of slogans that you should know about: 
"Collective Strength."  
"Making Great Communities Happen."

The APA wants you to know that without them you'd just be a mess.  Here's what they say in their Communications Bootcamp Webinar #1 (November 4, 2011):

"PLANNERS ARE THE GUARDIANS OF THE FUTURE."

The 'guardians of the future' is a mighty important position---one that most of us are unaware of, and to which we don't recall electing anyone from the APA.

"PLANNING IS ABOUT LEADING, INNOVATING AND INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION."

A profession that has such a high opinion of itself should be committed to following an ethical road but you'll see that the American Planning Association encourages planners to manipulate outcomes to---what?---protect the plan!  They want your info, but only so they can use it to fight you.

• "Reach out to groups likely to oppose
  
• Request a meeting with them to listen to concerns and ideas
  

• Do not try to change their minds--collect their input
• Encourage them to provide you with materials (books, websites, etc.)
  
• Research local activist websites"

The planners who work in your local planning department or are the consultants hired to craft your local plan (or the 'regional' plan) are members of the American Planning Association.  You are paying them.  Those who work for your local government are civil servants who expect long term employment with a pension at the end of their term. These planners are advising your local elected officials; your mayor, the planning commissioners, the council people, the county supervisors etc.  Most of those elected officials will be in and out of office while the staff stay on for twenty years or more.  The staff (the planners) was trained by and uses American Planning Association materials.  Staff lives in your town usually.  Here's what the APA advises them to do when we come out to tell the truth about their plans:

Build up your base.

• Reach out to fans of planning and trusted messengers
• Cultivate and prepare key champions and messengers
• Educate them about the nature of these attacks
• Enlist them to help and respond:  Public forums and testimony.  Online, social and traditional media
• Provide support to elected officials and educate the media
• Cultivate influentials who can 'push back' when needed
• Coach your elected officials
• Innoculate elected officials

And now for the conclusion!

"Planning needs to be reframed as something pivotal to the return of American prosperity and economic strength."

Yes, the APA wants you to know that if it were not for those planners overlaying transit oriented zoning all over your town we'd be doomed to crushing economic collapse forever...as we may well be if they keep overlaying transit oriented zoning all over our towns.  And the APA wants us to believe that if we don't think REGIONALLY we're doomed.  And the APA wants us to believe that if we don't go along with 'planned future' we'll die.

Now, instead of "planning" go back to the sections in blue and replace the word 'PLANNING' with ... the name of a religion that you might not agree with....and read it again. Do you believe? You need to have faith in Planning.  You must trust that the planners are making great communities happen through their collective strength and superior vision.  Planners are the leaders of the next generation---they told you so.

Are the planners the holy priests? The guardians of our future?  The creators of the grand utopia that we are too stupid to accept without a struggle? The holy seers who redesign our lives and fight us when we foolishly object?

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