"A bunch of professional planners in a room are not going to have the sense of community that civic associations have," said Rob Stuart, president of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association.
Not that Stuart or other civic leaders want to cut planners out entirely. Indeed, Logan Square is creating a formal neighborhood development plan with the help of the Planning Commission, a model that Stuart likes.
"I think the answer is for the city to provide professional resources for planning and design to civics," he said.
Striking the right balance between civic participation and professional planning is just one of many challenges Altman faces.
He needs money. The Planning Commission is "severely underfunded and understaffed," in the judgment of Greg Heller, a planner at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. So far, however, the Nutter five-year financial plan doesn't include an extra dime for planning.
Altman also must navigate a difficult interim period before the zoning and planning changes are complete. Given Nutter's campaign promises, residents expect to see vigorous urban planning, but that won't be easy until the old system is scrapped.
"The answer is, there's no good immediate answer," said Heller, who completed a major study into Philadelphia's lack of design review in November. "We're really suffering now for not fixing our zoning earlier. We've been operating under a broken system for a long time."
Contact staff writer Patrick Kerkstra at 215-854-2827, or pkerkstra@phillynews.com.For the latest from City Hall, visit http://www.HeardInTheHall.com.
