Recently, Long Beach embarked on an update of its general plan, which is considered a blueprint for the city’s future. The process, dubbed Long Beach 2030, will include a significant amount of public input—from residents, business owners, and local stakeholders—to formulate this vision for Long Beach. This actually is the second attempt to update the city’s general plan; the first one took place three years ago, in association with a different consultant team. Long Beach 2030’s consultant EDAW-AECOM, together with the Planning Department, re-embarked on a considerable public outreach effort, including a series of “planning festivals” throughout the city that drew diverse audiences, more so than any other city functions I have witnessed.
In addition to the more typical surveys and booths at public events that community planning processes often employ, these “planning festivals” included something a bit more fun for young and old alike: an exercise called Create your City. This was an opportunity for members of the public to become city planners, using markers and stickers on a city map to show exactly where they would like to see new development, infrastructure, and activities in the future. Even if you had a city official standing over your shoulder, critiquing your plan (in my case), this event represented a highly effective way for the public to share a rather unadulterated vision for Long Beach’s future. Luckily, the majority of the “imagined cities” were documented and will be on the Long Beach 2030 website.
In November the City of Long Beach released “Emerging Themes,” a document that consolidates and summarizes public input into common trends that will form the foundation for the general plan. These emerging themes were grouped into seven sections: neighborhoods, transportation, the waterfront, the environment, culture, economy, and safety. Each section sets forth a series of opportunities for further exploration in the development of Long Beach 2030. For the most part these would not be seen as contentious: no one would disagree with goals like improving air and water quality, supporting our public libraries, or providing positive activities along streets and in parks to promote public safety.
Commonalities certainly exist between the input provided during the initial attempt to update the city’s general plan and Long Beach 2030. Yet we can also identify trends that emerged more recently. Angela Reynolds, Advance Planning Officer for the City of Long Beach, shared some of those: “We were actually a bit surprised about the response to the future of transportation in the city. Over three quarters of respondents favored enhancing options other than the automobile, including biking, walking, and public transit.” Other interesting themes that surfaced in more recent discussions have included promoting arts and culture, and focusing on sustainability in regard to more energy-efficient buildings and developing a local green economy.
The “Emerging Themes” document presents a high degree of consensus around the idea that Long Beach should be a significant modern metropolis on par with its population size and economic base, while taking advantage of the natural, geographic, and cultural assets that make the city unique. It is difficult to disagree with anything of substance in these vision statements: the real debate will emerge later, when difficult questions concerning how to implement these inspired ideas are certain to arise. There will likely be intense discussion about how zoning codes might have to change, how the city will prioritize future infrastructure improvements, and what new regulations will be required to implement these guiding principles.
The public should take every opportunity to remain engaged as Long Beach 2030 continues to take shape as a blueprint for the city’s future. The next stage in updating the general plan is that city staff and the consultant team will create a draft framework plan based on the Emerging Themes document. This draft framework plan (which includes a variety of elements, including land use, transportation, economic development, historic preservation, and urban design) will then be presented anew in the spring of 2008 to the community for public input. The general plan is a living document; even after its adoption, portions of the plan will evolve as it responds to market conditions, culture, and technology change. Be informed and engaged: this is your best opportunity to help determine what Long Beach will be like in only a little over two decades.
Long Beach 2030
(562) 570-PLAN (7526)
longbeach2030.org
[email protected]
