PlanNC Guidebook: A Practioner's Guide to Preparing Streamlined Community Plans

In the early 2000s, community leaders in Knightdale, North Carolina, looked down First Avenue and saw an opportunity to rebuild the town's main street. A fire in the 1940s destroyed much of the traditional downtown, and suburban expansion in the late 20th century directed public and private investment elsewhere. But the community had a vision to reestablish a vibrant downtown. An ongoing planning effort, including a comprehensive plan and downtown plan, helped the town secure $20 million in public improvements in downtown. The resulting walkable main street and community park have catalyzed more than $250 million in private investment to date and enabled the town to create a vibrant new central gathering place for the community.\nAcross North Carolina, communities like Knightdale are using the power of planning to improve their communities in ways large and small. But often, the hardest part is getting started. This guidebook describes how to prepare an impactful and streamlined plan for the future. In so doing, communities can develop a shared vision that energizes local stakeholders and catalyzes lasting community improvements.