Best practices

MARC is prepared to provide assistance in the use of tools, however, the level of support may be affected by the demand for assistance. The resources included below are considered best practices in planning and are intended to improve how communities plan for and make decisions about growth and development.

Scenario Planning

Scenario planning is an analytical tool that offers a framework to develop a shared future vision for a community or project. The process typically involves creating two or more land use and development strategies and then analyzing the health, transportation, environmental, economic, and land-use impacts of each strategy. A successful scenario planning experience actively involves the public, including underrepresented communities, the local business community and elected officials to not only incorporate their feedback but also educate about the interplay of land use and development strategies and impacts on the community. Scenario planning tools can take the form of spreadsheets, GIS-based tools or a combination of spreadsheet and GIS functionality to offer more sophisticated modeling.

Data Indicators

Indicators provide a means to define outcomes and track community progress. By defining community characteristics, measurement of change is possible. A community should determine which characteristics should be monitored and periodically reviewed to determine the achievement of the desired change. Indicators may include a community’s population, income, transportation resources, education levels, employment or air quality to identify critical needs, initiate action and measure progress over time. Sources for indicators include the U.S. Census Bureau, local government agencies, the Center for Disease Control and more.

Environmental Data

MARC provides a free Natural Resources Inventory for the region. A variety of environmental data has been collected to allow communities to better understand the condition and location of natural resources. The data may document the presence of land cover, the location of floodplains, hydrography, topography and types of soil. It can be especially useful in assessing potential environmental impacts from specific developments. Sources of environmental data include the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Visualization

The combination of images depicting local development through digital manipulation allows communities to create, refine and clearly communicate the local vision of potential development and redevelopment. It creates images that foster discussion and communication between jurisdictions, developers and the public. Examples can be as simple as illustrating street improvements — such as improved sidewalks or bike lanes — or can be as extensive as façade upgrades or infill development. MARC can assist a community in creating visualizations of development plans and proposed projects.

Market Information

Market research information provides a snapshot of business or consumer activities for a given geographic area. The information helps to ground community plans by better understanding what the market will support. Examples of data include retail sales, prevailing commercial lease rates, residential rental rates and market demand projections. Providers can be varied but some national resources include ESRI’s Community Analyst, Dun & Bradstreet, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Surveys, or lifestyle segmentation systems such as ESRI’s Tapestry, Claritas’ Prizm or Experian’s Mosaic. MARC has access to many of these resources and can assist your community in developing a market assessment for a plan or project.