October is National Community Planning Month and to wrap it up, we are featuring a four-day series on planning and leadership.

• Part 1: 15 Leadership Traits All Great Planning Managers Possess
• Part 2: Enhancing leadership capacity to lead effective planning efforts
• Part 3: Keys to being an effective planning director
• Part 4: Expert Advice: Overcoming planning challenges

U.S. Army Photostream

Planning managers work in different environments, at different levels, and are focused on different goals. Nevertheless, they must cope with the changing realities of today's planning eviornment. Since a report issued in 2000 by the California Roundtable, Planning at the Edge of the Millennium, planning managers have been dealing with a number of challenges, including:

• The diversity and magnitude of demographic change affect every facet of community life.
• The digital world has transformed planning.
• Citizens are increasingly concious of the relationship between the environment, the economy, and their communities, and the importance of social, environmental, and economic sustainability.
• Government has not kept pace with citizens' demands for greater performance, accountability, equity, and quality.

These aren't the easiest of challenges to tackle and National Community Planning Month praises all the planners who have successfully addressed the challenges of a changing society through the use of their technical, managerial, and leadership skills. Planning managers are building a common vision for the future of their community, and we can all learn a thing or two from them. So we gathered wise words from various planning managers to get a glimpse into how they are overcoming their greatest challenges and making a difference in their community.

What is the hardest part of your job in planning and how do you work through these challenges?

William S. Dunne, Commissioner of Planning & Economic Development, City of Troy, NY

"The hardest part of my job in planning is always the intersection between conflict interests and finding a way forward that placates most people.  At this moment in our city, that intersection is between developers looking to invest in and revitalize a historic city and residents fearing displacement by gentrification.  That fear is more a perception than a reality, but getting residents to see and understand that and making sure developers are sensitive to it is the path to a solution."

Matthew Johnson, Planning Director, City of Abingdon, VA

"As a city planner, one of the biggest challenges our department faces is balancing the desires of each of the residents of our community.  Through solid community planning and engagement, we can identify the community's priorities and work to bring them to fruition."

Elaine Lazarus, Director of Land Use, Planning and Permitting, Town of Hopkinton, MA

"The hardest part of my job in planning is balancing the need to have open and inclusive public participation processes and the need to get specific plans and projects completed.  The best plans and projects have extensive public involvement and interaction, but it can really slow things down.  It is also hard to gear up for public participation on project-specific topics, over and over again – people get burned out.  I work through these challenges by making sure that the public dialogue and interaction is continuous and never ends.  If I am always in touch with what the citizens feel and want, then I’m halfway there already.  I spend a lot of time listening."

John F. Benson, Director of Development and Public Affairs Department, City of Raytown, MO

"The hardest part of my job in planning relates to involvement.  More specifically, involvement in the following contexts: 

1. Involvement of elected officials and staff as people in those positions change over time. So it’s important to ensure that current elected officials and staff members understand why various implementation steps are being proposed or undertaken; and,
2. Involvement of residents and local business people in the implementation of plans in which they have provided input.  This includes awareness of what is being done, how we will implement it and providing updates throughout the implementation."

Rodney L. Horton, Planning & Zoning Director, Borough of Elizabethtown, PA

"Dealing with developers who have 1970 - style developments that do not consider the municipalities 21st century planning agenda can be challenging. Instead of yelling: ‘hey buddy, the seventies called and they want their development back,’ Borough staff engages the developer early in the process by informing them about the municipality’s long term strategic planning goals that is incorporated in land use ordinances and the comprehensive plan. Education and engagement helps to overcome this obstacle."

Thomas Glover, Director of Community Development, County of Walla Walla , WA

"I think the greatest challenge in planning is aligning the aspirations of the customer with the parameters allowed by the local codes and state laws.  Here in Washington the local planning function is directed by the State’s Growth Management Act.  While that provides the structural basis for formulating a local planning function, and some degree of predictability for staff as well as the customer, it’s sometimes difficult to explain to some of our customers why a new project or type of land use activity that was once allowed in the past, or allowed in the state they moved here from, is no longer (or not) allowed by local codes.  The challenge then is to help the customer find a creative solution so that, perhaps with modification to their proposal, they can move forward with their dream, and still remain in compliance with local codes and plans."

Edited by Gary Hack … [et al] (2009) “Managing Planning.” Local Planning: Contemporary Principles and Practice: pp. 415-416. ICMA: Washington, D.C. 

Want to uncover more tips and best practices on leading and managing teams? Download the free ebook: Leading and Managing Others in Local Government. It includes different levels of leading and managing others, including: empowering others, performance and capability, recognition and motivating others, difficult conversations, and what matters most to your staff.