Comparison of Planning Activities in Smaller Cities in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio

Planning activities in smaller Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio communities were surveyed through a questionnaire. The surveyed towns were required to be free-standing cities and suburban communities were excluded from the study. Size, class and state of location provided a basis for comparing city planning activities. Kentucky, with its advanced program for supporting community planning activities, provided the most active situation for town planning. Communities in Indiana yielded the lowest level of planning activity. Cities with populations of 10,000 to 20,000 had more planning activities than smaller communities. Approximately twothirds of the reporting towns lacked trained planners, and most of the towns surveyed had never received a planning assistance grant (Section 701). Most cities were zoned and usually a comprehensive plan had been prepared but planning as a continuing or on-going process was absent in most of the surveyed communities. OHIO J. SCI. 78(3): 136, 1978 The provision of city planning services is a function which is usually associated with larger cities and metropolitan areas. The development problems of the larger city are generally viewed by society as being serious. In contrast, society has given a low priority to the resolution of problems which are characteristic of smaller urban places with many people viewing smaller cities as being relatively ideal habitats. A considerable body of literature has been produced on the problems of smaller urban places (Beckman 1958, Flora 1974, Hanscom 1963, Mayer 1963, Northam 1963, Warren 1972). A brief examination of smaller cities will reveal a variety of problems, which include economic stagnation and population decline, traffic and parking problems, inadequate community facilities, land use conflicts, urban blight and housing problems. Recently, the need for planning in smaller cities has been receiving attention. Some states have stipulated requirements for planning activities in smaller communities and have established assistance programs for implementing these activities. In 1954, the 701 planmanuscript received May 23, 1977 and in revised form November 17, 1977 (#77-41). ning assistance program was established by the Federal Government for encouraging community planning in smaller urban places (Finney 1968). Field examinations, however, suggest that community planning is almost non-existent in many smaller cities. It can be assumed that variations in the level of planning activities are related to the availability of state and federal assistance, community size, the nature of enabling legislation relative to planning requirements for smaller towns, and the attitudes of residents toward the provision of community planning services. A questionnaire was prepared on the subject of planning activities and mailed to 251 communities in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The survey instrument addressed 4 broad categories of planning activities: planning operations (questions 1, 2 and 3), availability of planning expertise (questions 3-7), the use of data sources (questions 8-10), and the receipt of federal planning funds for plan making activities (question 11) (See Appendix A). SELECTION PROBLEMS The intent of the study was to survey all towns which could be defined as smaller cities in the 3 state area. Four definitional criteria were needed. The