Planning Concepts in Plain English
As in any discipline, planners have constructed their own shorthand terms for abstract, complex concepts. While meaningful to professional planners, people with little planning background may feel bewildered when technical terms are used at public meetings or at the permit counter. In addition, Washington has adopted its own unique statutes addressing planning, land use, growth management and other issues. The state's Growth Management Act, State Environmental Policy Act, and other planning-related statutes have added new vocabulary and a new twist to planning concepts as they are applied in Washington State.
This Webpage offers some brief, one-page explanations of a series of commonly-used planning concepts. The concept summaries begin with a definition and overview of the concept. They provide further explanation of how the planning concept is applied in Washington State. Each concept page also provides links to MRSC Web pages and other resource for more information.
We hope that you can use the planning concept pages to explain planning and land use concepts to non-planners, including lay planning commission members, elected officials, and interested citizens. They also may be helpful to planners who are new to the state or to a particular area of planning. In addition to this page, you will find links to these summaries on MRSC Web pages that relate to these planning concepts. You may use them as meeting or permit counter handouts, link to them on your own Web pages or documents, or for similar uses.
You may also be interested in viewing these MRSC Web pages: Planner's Pocket Reference, and Planning Illustrated.
We will be adding to this list of concept summaries, as time permits.