Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Listening to Bluff - What I Learned From Existing Documents

Today in class we went over the past Bluff, Utah documents, and I learned a lot while going through the documents that could help to establish a better starting point for the work in which our class will be embarking. 


A few of the ideas that occurred to me while going through the documents were:
  • New building and infrastructure design built with natural processes in mind
  • Conservation techniques and water wise consumption - gray water systems and recycling water
  • Precedence section in our document to help guide further development of Bluff allowing them to keep their character, encourage controlled tourism, and gain interest of potential young leaders
  • How do you develop a resiliency plan and ordinances that help bluff keep its character?
  • Affordable housing that matches the make up of current feel of Bluff
  • How do you keep open space, view sheds, and the current character yet improve public health, community, jobs, and economy?
  • Our task is not to create a place that I or any other outsider thinks is good. Our task is to create a place that the residents think is good and improves all the desired areas.
  • What are the current challenges and barriers for residents of Bluff?
    • How would they see improvement to current conditions?
  • How do you "capitalize" on the existing character and features to attract younger residents and future leaders? (Simply put: how is Bluff going to attract younger residents?)
    • Bears Ears national Monument?
    • San Juan River Rafting?
    • Biking, Hiking, and Horse Trails?
    • The Comb?
  • Without a step by step instruction book, how can we give them guidelines or a pattern of language to protect their current values?
  • How do you word or craft an ordinance that accomplishes all Bluff's goals?
  • How do you offer suggestions in a way that they are seen as positive despite potential negative connotations?
These were just some of the questions swimming around in my head that we need to find answers to in order to be effective in creating a planning document that will be of any use to the future town of Bluff.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Inclusionary Planning: A New Concept

(CMP 4280 Ecology Planning Workshop Class 1)

Today we had our first CMP 4280 (Ecology Planning Workshop) class and went over a few of the previous year workshop's documents. After going over those documents I started to brainstorm some of the other things that should be included in helping Bluff become a town.

One concept that occurred to me was the idea of inclusionary planning. What is inclusionary planning? In working with Bluff, Utah we need to include all it's residents (human, animal, insect, and plant), environments, cultures, characteristics, infrastructure, landscapes, needs, wants, past, present, future, etc. This is inclusionary planning. In other words inclusionary planning is seeking to incorporate everything and everyone into the planning process.

After sitting through the third class period our discussion turned to our potential to effect change in the places of influence we have. One specific thing that happened during the class was a brief discussion on who the "developer" truly is. Professor Goldsmith said something along the lines of, the developer is you and I, it is the public, city, and stakeholders, its everyone potentially involved. This is another way to better understand inclusionary planning. The development or plan includes all potential parties.

This way of planning, if not already the current track for planning, should be the future and only way to plan.



Definitions:
Inclusive: including or covering all the services, facilities, or items normally expected or required.
All-inclusive: including everything or everyone.
 

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About

I just wanted to take a moment to send a personal message out to all those in the fields of Landscape Architecture, Gardening, Horticulture, and Urban Planning/Urban Ecology. I created Landscape Connections for the purpose to share my love and passion for Landscape Architecture and Design, and Urban Ecology. I was a Landscape Architecture Major at Utah State University and currently study Urban Ecology at the University of Utah. I am working to compile as much information in the four previously mentioned fields as possible. If you have any further information, or would like to either add information or see information posted to landscape connections please let me know.