“Planetizen has picked Envision Burlingame as one of its ‘Top Websites for Urban Planning – 2021.’
“Burlingame, California, is presenting its newly approved, 300-page General Plan in a way that makes the technical document more accessible to a variety of stakeholders. This easy-to-use, highly informative digital version of the plan also maintains the integrity of the original document.
“As you click through a map of the city, the website highlights each area and details the neighborhood’s planning context, future vision, and specific goals related to land use and development. One notable feature: the website includes pop-up windows that highlight and define terms with meanings that may not be immediately obvious to the non-planner. While the information remains dense by nature, the website delivers a more digestible version that can be browsed by category and topic, along with definitions and visual examples of technical items such as zoning designations, floor area ratio, and bike facilities.
“The digital plan is the result of a years-long planning process that sought to engage the community as the city revised its decades-old general plan. The website details the community process, which could serve as a useful guide for civic leaders who want to enhance public engagement in their own communities. Since the new plan will guide decision-making well into the next decade, the city’s effort to broaden access to the document and increase public awareness and understanding of its goals and strategies for the future is notable.”