Planning and Community Development ─ A Guide for the 21st Century

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail, the adage goes. Enter Planning and Community Development, which provides a general introduction to planning, explains the elements of the essential comprehensive plan, and describes the tools of implementation. It uses practical examples and case studies from across North America. Comprehensive in scope, this is an ideal "first book on planning" for students and practitioners needing to understand the full range of complex interactions related to their work, lay planners for whom it will serve as a reference on planning topics and policies, local officials who wish to understand the role of planning in government, and individuals who want to become involved in the planning of their communities. The book links planning issues with planning practice. It ranges from policies and programs to an examination of techniques and practical case studies. A special feature is the continuing case study of Rivertown, a fictitious community used for community planning exercises. This innovative simulation utilizes information from topics presented in the text and allows readers to interact with information as they fulfill the role of a local planner.

Dr. Norman Tyler, AICP, is a professor in the Urban and Regional Planning Program at Eastern Michigan University and directed the program from 1992 to 2009. Tyler has degrees from the University of Michigan (B. Architecture, D. Architecture) and Michigan State University (PhD Urban and Regional Planning) and also has taught at the University of Michigan and Penn State University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a registered architect. Tyler has served on the board of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and the Michigan Association of Planning. An award-winning teacher, he has introduced many innovations, including the online Rivertown Simulation. He is the author of Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History Principles, and Practices (W.W. Norton & Company, 2000 and 2009).
Dr. Robert M. Ward holds an AB from Earlham College, an MA from Indiana University, and a PhD from the University of Michigan. He has been a cartographer and a recreation resource planning specialist with the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (U.S. Department of the Interior) and a soil scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and subsequently taught in the Department of Geography and Geology at Eastern Michigan University, where he initiated the undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Urban and Regional Planning. He has published articles on resources/environment/conservation, planning, and geography. Ward has held leadership offices on rural township and county planning commissions and also with a nationally accredited nonprofit land conservancy organization.