The California Planning Roundtable’s (CPR’s) Reinventing the General Plan project, shows highly innovative, transformational potential. From a quick review of the site and their impressive work to date, featuring Ontario, San Diego, Sacramento, Marin County, and Truckee, they are off to a good start.
Although the theme of sustainability is present, it is not as central and consistent a component as one might expect given the enormity of the challenge and its dominance of the 21st century planning and public policy agenda.
I’m assuming there is some cross-fertilization between this CPR project and the APA National Sustaining Places Initiative, and its first Task Force Project:
The task force will focus on the role of the comprehensive plan as the leading policy document and tool to help communities of all sizes achieve sustainability. It will survey current best practices, evolving needs and practices, and how to change practices so the comprehensive plan will better achieve its role as the leading policy document for communities.
In any case, it’s worth a few minutes to explore the CPR’s general plan project and work more generally. You can also contribute to their Innovative General Plan Incubator website and follow their progress on their blog.