During the Fall 2002 Semester, graduate students from UAP 5794 (Environmental
Planning, Department of Urban Affairs & Planning, Virginia Tech) are
helping Montgomery County evaluate the portions of the Environmental Chapter
of the 1990 Comprehensive Plan, including looking Open Space, Agriculture,
and Riparian Issues. The class is charged with evaluating the effectiveness
of portions of the previous plan, examining how other jurisdictions handle
similar issues, creating a series of indicators the county can use to track
progress in the future, and developing recommendations for the next comprehensive
plan, currently under development.
In addition to existing resources (maps, plans, reports, etc.) and links,
the site will eventually include the students's work as well. The 2003-4
Comprehensive Plan will be far stronger because of the help, insights, creativity,
and expertise student, like those from UAP 5794, bring to the process. Under
the professional guidelines for the American Planning Association (APA),
professional planners are encouraged to work with and mentor student planners.
Often, the mentoring is a two way street, and for small jurisdictions with
even smaller staffs, the interaction between students and the professional
staff effectively increases the energy of the process while encouraging
a more proactive stance. (ed.)
