The City of Fort Collins Celebrates National Planning Month

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Chris Abshire
Communications Coordinator-Social Media

The American Planning Association (APA) has named October National Community Planning Month and the City will celebrate with a City Council proclamation on Tuesday, October 16.

One of the myriad reasons Fort Collins is a special and unique place to live is because of decades of thoughtful and deliberate community planning efforts.

Projects like the Downtown River District Revitalization Plan, MAX Bus Rapid Transit system, Sign Code, Nature in the City program and the Bicycle Master Plan are examples of our land use, transportation and environmental planning efforts.

The Sign Code, which was first adopted in the 1970s, has contributed to Fort Collins’ sense of place by improving our visual landscape. The Downtown River District Revitalization has brought fresh energy to the area through new residential and business opportunities. Programs like Nature in the City and an expanded bicycle lane and path system are improving residents’ health and well-being by making nature and alternative transportation more accessible. And MAX has transformed how the community thinks about public transit.

“Great communities don’t happen by chance; they rely on making sound choices that embrace the community’s opportunities and rise to meet the challenges.” said Cameron Gloss, the City’s head of Long-Range Planning.

This month, planning professionals around the country will honor the profession and the lasting value careful planning has on cities of all sizes. According to the APA, the goal of urban planning is to maximize the health, safety, and economic well-being of residents in ways that reflect the unique needs, desires, and culture of those who live and work within the community.

City Plan Update

Currently, the City is in the process of the updating its community-wide land use, transportation and transit master plan, called City Plan. Through the decades, City Plan has evolved and adapted as Fort Collins has grown and this plan cannot continue to evolve without vast community participation and input. Learn how to get involved in City Plan by visiting ourcity.fcgov.com/cityplan.

To learn more about National Planning Month, visit planning.org/ncpm.

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