For the time being, make small plans

Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's souls and probably themselves will not be realized.

Attributed to Daniel Burnham, a godfather of  American urban planning

Sorry, Mr. Burnham: Realistically, small plans may be all we can do now.

There is a lot less support for big infrastructure projects than there might have been two years ago.  Consider: The recent election of so many fiscal conservatives across the country, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's killing of a new train tunnel to New York, and the loss of 14,000 architectural and engineering jobs in the U.S. the past year.  (While the economy added 151,000 jobs in September, hiring was flat in the A&E field, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

There are still some pockets of support for big projects, but here are things you can do if you're a placebuilder in a place that wants you to help solve problems at the lowest costs possible:

• Understand why people and leaders are reluctant to do big things in times of economic uncertainty and concerns about long-term debt. If you don't, you're going to have a hard time persuading communities and their leaders, and building their confidence to do more, and do better.
  
• Frame community and local economic development strategies around small business development.  The one thing conservatives and progressives seem to agree on is supporting the growth of small businesses.  For example, if you wanted to do public art downtown, you would be better off talking about it as a way to attract visitors who can support retail businesses.
  
• Encourage more public/private partnerships, and partnerships between business and community groups.  This can help with small ticket items -- such as place marketing or business assistance centers -- that in normal times are done by public agencies.  And no, it's not enough to just write that into a plan -- if you want it to happen, you'll probably need to do some matchmaking.
  
• Get influential people and especially fair-minded representatives of small businesses on project steering committees and advisory boards.  In an age when so many people are standing on soapboxes and shouting from their blogs and TV appearances, the quiet conversation can be quite powerful.
  
• Have the courage to question your assumption about big projects.  Do the critics have a point?  Are there ways to move toward the same goals without large up-front investments?  Note to New Urbanists, architects and civil engineers:  Not every problem needs a design solution. 

Be creative.  You can think outside the box without having to build it.

Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP 

The Leading Institute and the Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program offer great courses that build your capacity to do more in times of limited resources.  Learn more.