Agency report
Under construction: tools and techniques for local planning

This report is also available for download by individual chapter:

• Cover (577K)
• Table of Contents (21K)
• Foreward:Why a planning guide (20K)
• Chapter 1: Considering the opportunities (1,173K)
• Chapter 2: Getting Started (555K)
• Chapter 3: Assessing the state of a community (3,805K)
• Chapter 4: Setting a community's course (771K)
• Chapter 5: Developing strategies (1,011K)
• Chapter 6: Implementing a comprehensive plan (493K)
• Appendix

The guide offers ideas for developing a comprehensive plan that articulates the aspirations and vision of a community. It suggests how a plan should provide the policy framework for decisions regarding development, public investment and delivery of government services.

The guide is based on the principles of sustainable development, which means simply that it considers how environment, economy and community are interrelated, and how a sustainable community lives within its means in both the short and long term.

Under Construction taps the experiences of a wide range of communities and the lessons they learned and offers these lessons in a number of ways – from “how to” lists, to “consider this” discussions, to citations of other places to find good information. The guide emphasizes public participation and describes approaches elected officials and planners can use to engage residents and stimulate greater involvement. It also emphasizes how to help citizens recognize the relationships between issues and the long-term consequences of actions.

In addition to the 200-page print version, Under Construction is also available on CD. For further information, for additional copies or to give us feedback on the guide, please contact Deborah Pile, Local Planning Assistance Center Director at 651-297-2375 or local.planning@state.mn.us or John Wells, Sustainable Development Director, Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, at 651-297-2377 or sustainable.development@state.mn.us.