Why American City Planning Needs a More Entrepreneurial Practice Modality

Abstract

This commentary argues that current practice modalities are inadequate to meet the planning challenges of the day and that planners should seek out more entrepreneurial approaches. I offer three additional observations to support this argument: (1) the choice of local planning practice modality is too often determined by convention and familiarity; (2) local planners have become too reliant on regulation as their primary implementation tool; and (3) the recent performance record of counties in states with strong planning and regulatory regimes is underwhelming when compared with their counterparts in states with weaker planning regimes.