This chapter provides an introduction to planning for community housing needs. It includes a discussion of housing supply and demand, the effects of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act on housing; the effects of federal policies on local housing; the role of local governments in providing housing and shaping the market; and local and state affordable housing programs.
Economic development efforts in communities in the United States typically focus on bringing “economic base” jobs to the community – jobs that produce goods or services that are sold outside the community, so that they will help to bring new money into the community. This chapter discusses the role of planning and planners in economic development.
This chapter discusses the values that drive planners and the ethical principles that should govern planning practice.
This chapter provides a brief outline of how a reader can become a professional planner or a member of a planning commission.
Whatever the initial reasons for their career choice, planners soon realize there is a wide range of jobs to be done. An understanding of the career possibilities can help the future planner to prepare appropriately.