As part of Western Planner’s mission to be a resource for planners in the West, we are pleased to offer all WP articles published since 1980 FOR FREE. That is over 2,223 articles covering 37 years of planning issues in the West!

Julia Crain has been working for the Butte-Silver Bow Planning Department since 2011. Her formal title is special projects planner, which can encompass most anything that enhances the Butte area, including land uses for specific areas and improving the Silver Bow Creek and Blacktail Creek corridors. By Mike Smith. Article republished courtesy of the Montana Standard.

Meet Meredith Duvall, a Planner for City of Gillette, Wyoming. She advises to get involved in your community outside of work in order to better understand how residents interact with the city. Article submitted by Megan Nelms, AICP.

Neighborhood parks that are well-designed with diverse facilities and targeted programming plus good marketing initiatives encourage more people to be active, according to the national report called Active Parks, Healthy Cities.

One of the fascinating things about community development is the interaction between residents and municipal government and commercial development teams and municipal government, hereafter referred to as “staff.” Though some may believe those two groups are at odds, residents and commercial developers clearly have similar interests. by Bill Detweiler, Castle Rock, Colorado

The information gained from the Clearwater Lidar Project has both short-term and long-term benefits across a broad spectrum of disciplines, and encompasses project planning, development, implementation, management, and education outreach. It is truly a phenomenal example of how multiple agencies at local, state, and federal levels can cross disciplines and pool resources for a common goal. by Alison Tompkins, Nez Perce County, Idaho

This brief article describes the cycling experience that Candis Millar, AICP, and her husband enjoyed during a week in Copenhagen, Denmark in September. Some of our observations may generate ideas for Western Planners implementing bicycle plans in their communities. Story and photos by Candis Millar, AICP

In fall of 2016, the Utah State University bioregional planning team was invited to complete an assessment of the region’s varying land uses, and to generate plausible scenarios for local planners and decision-makers to use in future management plans. The bioregional team offered local stakeholders four plausible scenarios for the future of their region to help decision-makers navigate uncertainty and realize their ideal planning goals for 2040. by Andy Witt, Aubin Douglas, and Mary Oliver

As more people move to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), development will continue to affect the region’s ecological health. For 17 years, Valley Advocates for Responsible Development (Valley Advocates) has advocated for responsible growth management in the Teton Valley of Idaho and Wyoming, working to preserve our corner of the GYE. However, we’ve found that focusing on future growth alone is not enough to protect our treasured ecosystem. In addition, our regional community must also work to correct the development mistakes of the past. by Shawn Hill, Valley Advocates for Responsible Development

This article is about the gaping hole in Bisbee, Arizona’s zoning regulations that led to the city’s Planning Commission to develop a new accommodation for innovative and affordable housing through alternative lodging parks. by Mark Apel

Planners can respond to a lack of affordable housing by leveraging the regulatory and institutional tools at their disposal. This article will highlight a few tools and strategies within a framework of three “levers” of affordability: facilitate the development of income-restricted affordable housing; mitigate residential displacement; and encourage expansion of overall housing supply. by Jamin Kimmell and Catherine Corliss, AICP

The 2014 Boles Fire went through Weed, California destroying 16 percent of their housing and other structures. A year later, the community started a planning process, called the Weed Resilience Plan, which was completed in April 2016. This effort was the first example of a rural resilience planning process in the nation. by Tom Brandeberry