The plan making process includes - answer Goals and visions;
Analysis of current problems; and
Creation of alternatives.
What is strategic planning used for? - answer to assist an organization in guiding its
future. Strategic planning sets goals, objectives, and policies for reaching the set
objectives.
Major questions a strategic plan should address - answer - What is the current
situation and how is that situation likely to change in the foreseeable future?
- Where are we going as an organization?
- How will we get there?
eight elements to a strategic plan - answer - Analyze the community's needs.
- Identify results - determine what long-term objectives the city is going to pursue.
- Admit uncertainties - analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
(SWOT) relating to the objectives.
- Involve strategic stakeholders.
- Develop and evaluate alternatives.
- Identify the role of the city.
- Develop a funding policy.
- Evaluate performance.
How is strategic planning different from Comprehensive planning - answer Strategic
planning is short term in focus and is specific in accomplishing certain objectives.
Strategic planning is sometimes used instead of comprehensive planning, yet it is not
comprehensive in scope. Strategic planning is helpful in looking at the needed
organizational changes or a particular issue, but it cannot be used to effectively plan a
city as a whole.
What is a visioning process? - answer a process whereby citizens attend a series of
meetings that provide the opportunity for them to offer input on how the community
could be in the future. Planners use visioning processes to help citizens develop a
conception of the future. The citizens develop a vision statement, which is then broken
down into themes that represent the consensus of the community's goals for the future.
A visioning plan typically has a 20- to 30-year time horizon.
,What are goals? - answer Goals direct the public toward their future. Goals are also
the basis of plan making. A goal is a general statement that may not be realized, but is
something towards which to strive. An example would be a healthy environment.
What are objectives? - answer An objective is a more specific and attainable
statement. An example would be to increase the riparian buffer along the rivers and
streams.
what are the two types of data - answer Data can be collected from a primary source
through a survey, observation, or other methods. Additionally, data can be collected
from secondary sources, such as the U.S. Census, regional planning agencies, etc.
what are surveys good for? - answer Surveys are frequently used to obtain citizen
input on planning issues. A survey is a research method that allows one to collect data
on a topic that cannot be directly observed, such as opinions on downtown retailing
opportunities. Surveys are used extensively in planning to assess attitudes and
characteristics of the public on a wide range of topics.
Surveys typically take a sample of a population. For example, 500 out of 5,000
households in a community might be mailed a survey.
What are the two main time periods of surveys? - answer cross sectional
longitudinal
what is a cross sectional survey - answer A cross-sectional survey gathers
information about a population at a single point in time. For example, planners might
conduct a survey on how parents feel about the quality of recreation facilities as of
today.
what is a longitudinal survey - answer over a period of time. Some cities conduct a
citizen survey of service satisfaction every couple of years. This data can be combined
to compare the differences in satisfaction between 1995 and 2005.
what are the different survey formats? - answer written
group administered
drop off
oral
phone
electronic
written surveys - answer can be mailed, printed in a newspaper, or administered in a
group setting. Written surveys are very popular when a planner is trying to obtain
information from a broad audience, such as general opinions about the community. This
is a low-cost survey method that is convenient for participants because they can
complete the survey at their leisure. However, mail surveys have a low response rate,
, averaging around 20 percent. A written survey also requires the participant to be able to
read and write. For this reason, it may be inappropriate when targeting seniors, those
that do not speak English, and the illiterate.
when to use group administered surveys - answer when there is a specific
population that a planner is trying to target.
Pros and cons of group administered surveys - answer allows a high and quick
response rate. The difficulty with administering this survey is getting everyone together
to complete the survey. One example would be to survey participants in recreation
programming by asking each person to complete a survey at the end of class. This
survey method requires a small sample size.
Pros and cons of a drop off survey - answer allows the survey to be dropped off at
someone's residence or business. Respondents are free to complete the survey at their
convenience. Response rates are higher than with a mail survey because the person
dropping off the survey may have personal contact with the respondent. This method
can be expensive because of the time required to distribute the surveys. The sample is
generally smaller than with a mail survey.
what are the main things that are important in designing a survey? - answer - Make
all questions clear (don't use technical jargon).
- Make sure each question only asks about one issue.
- Make questions as short as possible.
- Avoid negative items as they can confuse respondents.
- Avoid biased items and terms.
- Use a consistent response method, such as a scale of 1 to 7 or yes/no.
- Sequence questions from general to specific.
- Make the questions as easy to answer as possible.
- Define any unique or unusual terms. For example, when you are conducting a survey
about open space zoning be sure to define what the term means.
Pros and cons of phone surveys - answer useful when you need yes/no answers.
Surveys on the phone or in person allow the interviewer to follow up and gain further
explanation on answers. The response rate varies greatly, depending on the ability to
reach potential respondents. This is an expensive survey method because of the time it
takes to complete the survey. Phone and in-person interviews can be biased due to
interaction with the interviewer. Long questions and those with multiple answers are
difficult to administer using this method.
Pros and cons of electronic survey - answer These can be administered on a
website or via e-mail. This is an inexpensive method of surveying that can generate
quick responses. Electronic surveys have a higher response rate than written or
interview surveys. The downside is that you will not reach people without Internet
access.
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