Planning - Michael Black & Associates

PLANNING


	DOWNTOWN PLANNING		INDIAN RESERVATIONS		URBAN PARKS

PLANNING

Michael's work is based on his beliefs that the inter-relatedness of all the various elements in our existence must be considered while planning for change in any single element. He has created teams of experts for the purpose of creating viable, implementable planning programs that are capable of protecting the culture and the environment while providing for economic sustainability and human needs.

Planning projects include Downtown Specific Plans for revitalization, comprehensive planning for Native American Communities, urban park planning, and cohousing communities. These planning programs, which are all comprehensive in nature, rely heavily upon extensive community participation which incorporates an "Environmental Modeling" process that is designed to achieve consensus.

The firm's planning work has frequently been praised as "models." The community plan for the Ocean Park neighborhood in Santa Monica, CA was referred to as a Model Neighborhood Plan by the Mayor of Santa Monica, and the Downtown S pecific Plan for Exeter, CA recently received the "Outstanding Planning Award -Small Jurisdiction" from the California Chapter of the American Planning Association, Central Section. The HUD 701 Planning Program for the Morongo Indian Reservation was referred to as a "Model Project" by HUD.

Michael's intention is to develop an inclusive process whereby the people affected take an active role in defining the issues and a vision to guide the transformation of the area to be planned. He is nationally known for his pioneering consensus-based planning approach, which is comprehensive and utilizes a team of experts from various fields. Consideration must be given to how all the different forces and issues within an area affect each other; i.e., land use; environment; historic preservation; traffic, circulation and parking; culture and entertainment; economics; housing; and the interface with the surrounding land uses.

In addition to exploring the areas above, see FACILITATION for more on Michael's planning process and COHOUSING for information specific to that area.

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DOWNTOWN PLANNING

INDIAN RESERVATIONS

URBAN PARKS